Must Grow Up
by Rashelleah95
Summary: It's been two years since book seven. Ginny is fresh out of Hogwarts, after repeating her sixth year and taking her seventh. Still, her life's a mess. Harry is distant, she needs a job, and Ginny has to get herself back on track. Things may get crazy . ..
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Return to the Burrow

Ginny heard a knock on her door. Rolling over in bed, she groaned. She half opened one eye and moaned. In glancing at the clock, she had realized that it was half past one in the morning. Another knock. Ginny rolled blindly out of bed, stumbling and stubbing her toes. Pulling on a sweater over her nightgown, she walked over and opened the door.

"Gaby!" She shrieked, and hugged her sister. "You're back!" Gabrielle's parents, the Delacours, had been killed two years ago in the battle against you-know-who. The Weasleys had then contacted the Senior Delacours, Gabrielle's Grandparents, and asked for custody of Gabrielle, citing the fact that Gabrielle would want to be close to her closest living relative, her sister Fleur, now married to Bill Weasley. The Delacours had agreed, on the condition that Gabrielle is sent to them during the summer for three weeks, and during some vacations.  
"Ginny!" Gaby hugged her back, dropping her suitcase. Forgetting her exhaustion, Ginny swung the case over her shoulder and walked Gabrielle up to her room.  
The room that had once been Ron's attic was now Gaby's _Boudoir. _She had decorated it with powder blue walls, and a few Gryffindor banners.  
"When did you arrive?" Asked Ginny, sitting on the bed.  
"Around one. Mum said I looked underfed, so she _overfed_ me." You could barely hear the French accent in her voice, because she had spent the last two years attending Hogwarts, and only spoke French when she went to visit her French relations.  
"How is everyone?" Ginny threw herself onto her back, staring at the ceiling.  
"Alright. They all think it's weird that I go to Hogwarts instead of Beaxbatons." Gabrielle laid her suitcase on the bed and opened it up. She began to unpack.  
"Aww, don't listen to them, they're just jealous that they can't go over-seas." Ginny waved her wand and all of Gaby's clothes zoomed into her chest of drawers. Ginny patted the place beside her. Gaby made a face, but sat down next to her. "You'll have to write me. Tell me who the new headmaster is." Suggested Ginny.  
"Oh, I forgot that you've graduated! It'll be so lonely without you."  
"That's you. What about me? I have to get a job!" Said Ginny desperately, rolling over onto her stomach on the bed. "I have to put together a resume together and get letters of recommendation and everything!"  
"Didn't you get job advice a few years back?" Asked Gabrielle, changing into a pair of pajamas.  
"Yeah. So?"  
"So what'd McGonagall say?" Gaby sat down in her desk-chair. Turning to face the desk with her back to Ginny, she unrolled a piece of parchment and ripped a piece off. Scribbling a few lines onto the manila colored scroll, she rolled it up and tied it to the leg of Pigwidgeon, telling him. "This is for Fleur. Shell Cottage." She opened the dirty window and tossed the owl into the air.  
"She said that the ministry might be in my future, but she thinks Quidditch might not be a bad idea."  
"What would make her say that?"  
"Probably a combination of Family Reputation, observation of talent and my choice of extra curricular activities!" Ginny threw a pillow at Gaby, who dodged, and yawned. Ginny realized just then how very tired she was, and promptly said goodnight to her sister, and descended the stairs to bed.

Ginny awakened that morning to an owl tapping her window. She got up and opened the window, blinking in the sunlight. The owl landed smartly on the sill, preened its feathers, and extended its leg. Ginny detached the little scroll from the owl's leg, and unrolled the parchment:

_Ginny-_

_Ron told me that Gabrielle sent a letter to Fleur and she mentioned that you are having trouble finding a job. I bet you could contact Slughorn and he would give you a great letter of recommendation. If you're interested I'm sure we could find something for you here at the ministry. Say hi to everyone for me._

_Harry_

_PS: The new owls' name is Witherwig. _

Ginny sighed. No "Love, Harry". He'd been too busy putting his life back together to . . . well, that's too depressing to think about. She tied back her hair and wrote a quick reply:

_Harry-_

_Thanks, I think I will write to Slughorn. I suppose I'll be seeing you._

_Ginny _

She sealed the letter, and tied it to Witherwig's extended leg. The owl gave an odd sort of nod, and flew away. Ginny got up and pulled on a dressing gown over her night-dress, and she walked down the stairs.  
"Morning, Ginny." said Mrs. Weasley cheerfully.  
"Is Gaby up yet?" asked Ginny as she helped herself to bacon and eggs along with the toast already on her plate.  
"No. I expect she's sleeping in, she got home pretty late. Don't wake her, I'll bring a tray up."  
"Oh, when have I heard this before?" Muttered Ginny as she cut her eggs.  
"Hush you!" Molly snapped in Ginny's general direction, as she prepared a tray for Gabrielle, including eggs, buttered toast, bacon, home fries and sausages. Ginny smiled to herself as she thought of when she had been fifteen, and a visitor had arrived in the middle of the night, he had woken up late and had a tray of food brought up by Fleur . . .  
She awoke from her daydream when an owl carrying the mail arrived and tapped his claw on the window. Ginny remembered another owl, Errol, tapping on the window when she'd been eleven and the same mysterious visitor had come by flying car . . .  
She shook herself awake and let in Pigwidgeon. The owl had been retired to the Burrow after Ron had left home and was given a new owl by George and Angelina for his birthday.  
There were a few ministry memos for Dad, _The DailyProphet_, _Witch Weekly _for Mum, a few letters for Gabrielle from friends from school and France, and three letters for Ginny. One was from Luna, who was in Romania, staying with Charlie and his wife Leticia, a Romanian witch.  
"Luna's on vacation looking for Blubbering Borigible Borginies in the lakes near the dragon reservations." Ginny held the letter to the light and giggled to herself.  
"Really," said Molly absentmindedly, pilling the food for Gabrielle on a tray. Ginny slit open the next letter:

_Dear Ginny,_

_I heard about Gaby being back, say hi for me. Luna wrote me saying she's in Romania looking for something blubbering. We're having serious Auror training. I find it rather hard, as it's not really something you can learn fully from a book. Ron, Harry and I are coming for dinner, so look your best tonight! Ron and I are going out tomorrow night, so we won't be coming over. Has Harry written you? He said he would. See you soon!_  
_Love, Hermione _

Ginny felt, if possible, even more depressed after reading this. Hermione had a career. Hermione had a livelihood. Hermione had a boyfriend. _Yahoo. Yay. Huzzah. What about me?_ Thought Ginny. She ripped open the next letter ferociously, taking out her anger and jealousy on the purple-ribboned parchment . . . . _purple ribbon?_ Sure enough, on the envelope, were the initials H. Slughorn, addressed to Ginevra M. Weasley.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Letter

Ginny bit her lip nervously.

_Dearest Ginevra,_

_I heard that you are troubled and looking for a job. If I may suggest something, I think you would do well as a Quiddich player, and as you know my friend Gwenog Jones captains the Hollyhead Harpies, so I might be able to get you into the annual trials with a recommendation._

_Hoping you are well,_

_Horace Slughorn _

Ginny gave an outward sigh of relief. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she swept the letter aside; she would draft a reply later.

She opened the _Daily Prophet,_ and glanced over the headlines. She took a look at her favorite part of the paper, the _Chosen Column._ The name always made her smile. The column was mostly people who know Harry Potter writing about their experiences with him. Whenever they couldn't get anyone, they had reporters analyzing quotes from the chosen one.

**Harry Potter: Goblins, Elves and Gamekeepers**

**By Alphius Doge**

When Harry Potter arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry he befriended none other than the abnormally large gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. The chosen one then proceeded to become friendly with not only a man he soon found out is a half giant, but with a Goblin known as Griphook, and many a house-elf. According to said Goblin, Harry Potter has not only saved said Goblin's life, but also buried a house-elf who was killed.

Harry is none other than a most un-prejudiced individual and his attitude is applauding able. Indeed, needless to say, we can all learn a lot from Harry Potter.

Ginny sighed, disappointed. No new quote. No new story. Just another article, praising Harry to the heavens for this or that. _How boring, _she thought. Then she scolded herself. She _almost_ had a career, She _almost_had a livelihood, She was nowhere close to having a boyfriend, and sadly, that was the only thing that seemed to matter.

When the war had ended, she had expected that Harry's We-can't-be-together-because-Voldemort-will-kill-you-to-get-to-me paranoid phase would end, and they would be together again, and Ginny could be happy again. Unfortunately, Harry seemed to have more on his mind than his ex-girlfriend, the girl who loved him still.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Ginny and Gaby

Ginny and Gaby had not got off on the right foot, what with the crush that Gabrielle had on Harry, and Ginny being Harry's girlfriend. Either way, as soon as Gaby got over it, the two were the best of friends, or at least as close friends as you can be with someone who is essentially your sister. But, that was two years ago, when the thing on everyone's minds had been Voldemort, and no one had time to get worked up over Gaby and Ginny's occasional sissy-fights.  
But, that was two years ago, and now the girls were almost inseparable. So, just as parents will, Ginny found herself masking her Harry-depression as she heard Gaby trooping down the stairs.

"Ginny."  
"Gaby."  
"Morning."  
"Morning."  
"Morning."  
"It's Harry, isn't it?" Gaby observed as she accepted a plate of steaming food from Mrs. Weasley.  
"No."  
"I thought so." Said Gabrielle, matter-of factly. "Do you miss him?" She asked, shoving a fork-load of scrambled eggs into her mouth.  
"No."  
"Of course you don't."  
"Don't talk with your mouth full."  
"Don't change the subject!"  
"I'm over him!"  
"And I honestly believe that?" Gaby raised an eyebrow.  
"Of course not." It was irritating how well her adopted sister knew her.

Gaby continued to try to get Ginny to tell her what was going on. Finally, Gabrielle got frustrated and simply snatched the letters from Hermione, Luna and Harry from under Ginny's elbow, and Professor Slughorn's from Ginny's hand.  
"Oh my gosh," She commented after speed-reading all four letters. She let Hermione's slip onto the wooden tabletop.  
"So what?" Ginny grabbed back three of the letters, but Gabrielle held Harry's out of reach.  
"So what?" Mocked Gaby, waving the letter in the air.  
"Gimme it!" Ginny snatched it away.  
"So you're jealous of Hermione?" Asked Gaby dryly.  
"Am not."  
"You're stubborn, too." Gaby carried her dish to the sink.  
"Am not."  
"See?"  
"Go away."  
"In your dreams."  
"I'd rather be dreaming than listening to you."  
"Harsh."  
"Well, I'm feeling angst-y today." Ginny waved her wand and her dish raced to the sink.  
"What is it? Take-your-angst-out-on-Gaby-day?" Gaby shook her head sadly. "Hey, I've got a brilliant idea."  
"Oh, we like ourselves, don't we?" Muttered Ginny, folding her arms.  
"Hush you! Ask George and Ron for a job!" Gaby practically exploded.  
"No way! That's favoritism! I'll ask Dean and Parvati for a job."  
"A) isn't he your ex-boyfriend and B) when did they open a business?" Gaby raised her eyebrows.  
"They opened a pet-shop and they were looking for help. See you, I've got to go." Ginny swung her old school bag over one shoulder and finger-combed her hair on her way out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Ginny's Job

Ginny walked up the stairs and went into her room. Ginny walked over to her desk and wrote a letter to Slughorn:

_Dear Professor,_

_Thank you for this wonderful opportunity! I would love it if you would recommend me to Ms. Jones. Thank you again, and I will take my chances at the tryouts._

_Ginny _

Ginny rolled up the scrap of paper and tied it to Pigwigeon's leg. She threw him out the window and put a few things into her bag. Ginny walked out her bedroom door and slid down the banister to the front hall.  
"Ginny, Mum says that Harry, Ron, and Hermione will be over for dinner at six, so don't be late." Gaby was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Where are you going? That pet shop?" She asked curiously.  
"Nope, they didn't have any space for me." She replied. "Tryouts for a Quidditch team." Ginny slid gracefully off the edge of the banister and landed on her feet.  
"Ooooh, Mum's not gonna like that." Gaby smiled and raised her eyebrows.  
"Do me a favor and don't tell her." Ginny slammed the door on the way out of the house and walked down to the broom shed. She picked out Ron's old comet two-sixty. It was easily the best broom in the shed; as the other four were Ginny's old comet one-forty, Percy's old shooting star, and Fred and George's pair of Comet twenty-fours. She shut the door to the shed and locked it tight, then turned on the spot, instantly vanishing.

When Ginny reappeared in a strange stadium, she looked around. The place was totally deserted. She checked the schedule tacked to the wall and cursed. The tryouts weren't for another two hours. She read the flyer in full this time, not just skipping to the timetable.

Welcome to Harrington Stadium, home of the Holly-head Harpies and the Northward Gnomes!

Tryouts for all positions for the Harpies will be held at 11:30 AM on August 20th. Please bring your own brooms. Kindly arrive on time and be courteous. Not everyone can be a Harpy!

Ginny sighed and jumped on to her broom and flew above the stadiums, loving the feeling of the wind in her hair and face. Her broom glided smoothly over the stadium and she steered so that her toes skimmed the grass. She wondered how she must look, a small figure dressed in a pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt with all her bright red hair tucked under the hood, flying around the stadium. She felt a shadow fall in front of her. Someone was flying beside her. She sped up, and then snuck a peek at the mystery rider. A hood covered the person's face. They wore billowing robes. Ginny looped the rider and smiled a little. The mystery rider easily outdid her. They played in the air for what seemed to be forever.  
_Whooooo-wooot! _A whistle blew. People had gathered below, and Ginny blushed. Her race with the stranger had felt personal, and she was embarrassed that they had been watched. They plummeted to the ground and stopped in front of the woman who must be Gwenog Jones. She burst into applause.  
"Wonderful, wonderful!" She exclaimed, laughing so hard that tears ran down her face. "I would love to offer you both the first tryout, and you have my confidence." She nodded graciously. Ginny smiled, and turned her head to look into the face of the stranger. The person turned their head and looped one leg over their broom. The mysterious stranger pushed off the ground hard and flew threw the doorway. The person landed right outside, tucked the broom under one arm and disapparated.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Dinner with the Trio

Ginny swung her bag off her shoulder, trying to be happy. She had the job, and was officially on the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team. But why was she so sad? No matter, she had to get ready for the big dinner, where she'd have to sit through Hermione and Ron being all happy, and tolerate Gaby's I-feel-your-pain-that-Harry-is-here glances. She walked up the stairs to her room, glad that her mother was out in the yard trying to set up the tables. She had a flashback to the summer before her third year at Hogwarts, the year of the Triwizard Tournament, when Bill and Charlie had set up the tables, and then back to Harry's seventeenth birthday two full years ago. And that was when she remembered.  
"Gaby," She asked after dashing up the stairs to her sister's room. "What's the date?"  
"July thirty-first. Why? Oh my God, it's Harry's birthday, isn't it?" She didn't stop for an answer. "You should wear something nice! Go on now, I need to shower."  
"Aren't you going to ask me if I got the job?" Teased Ginny. She unbuttoned her cloak to reveal her black hoody and jeans.  
"I would, but you're about to tell me." Ginny teased back.  
"I got the job." Blurted Ginny.  
"Great. I'm guessing you'll tell everyone at dinner?"  
"Probably when Mom isn't in the room. But yeah." Ginny smiled and left the room to go change.

She decided to wear a light-blue shirt with a black vest and jeans. She liked muggle clothes, because even though the billowy effect of a cloak looked cool, for casual dinner jeans and a t-shirt were much more comfortable. Hearing voices, she ran a brush through her hair and walked down the stairs.

When Ginny arrived at the bottom of the stairs, her mum was darting around the kitchen, using her wand to control all the food magically cooking around her.  
"Good, Ginny, take out the silverware, I need you to set the table. Come back for the dishes and cups!" Mrs. Weasley called after her as Ginny levitated the utensils. Her mum was so fussy about not biting off more than she could chew. With only Ginny and Gaby to help around the house and to set things up before dinners, Mrs. Weasley allowed Ginny to use magic, but limitedly. Ginny sighed and with a wave of her wand, she set the table.

Returning to the house for the glasses and plates, she smiled to herself. She knew that all of the guests would be arriving at seven o'clock, so she whisked the items off the counter and walked quickly down to the backyard with the cups and plates spinning magically around her head.  
"Ginny!" Gabrielle called after her. She wore a silvery t-shirt and jeans.  
"Hey," Ginny slowed down so her sister could catch up.  
"So, are you looking forward to seeing Harry?" Asked Gaby slyly.  
"Shut up." Said Ginny, getting hot in the face as the two approached the tables. Ginny waved her wand to set the table, and Gaby grinned.  
"I can't wait until I can do magic all the time." She smiled dreamily.  
"Here they come." Said Ginny urgently. Gabrielle was silent as they both heard the pop! That meant that someone had apparated. They heard footsteps near the gate, and it flew open.  
"Ginny! Gaby!" Hermione beamed. Her face was flushed from the cold, and her hair was tightly curled. She looked beautiful, and even more so with Ron's arm around her.  
"Hello Ginny, Gaby." Ron grinned at the two of them and nodded his head. "I expect mum has been working since five in the morning?" He joked.  
"Very funny." Said Gaby scathingly. "Is that how long you worked on your hair?" She teased.  
"Harry, will you hurry?" Ron called behind him.  
"Coming." Said Harry.  
"What kept you?" Asked Gabrielle.  
"He got ambushed in the lobby of the ministry." Ron said sheepishly.  
"Hey look, there's Harry Potter! Can I have your autograph? Please? Come on!" Gaby imitated a crazed fan.  
"Over 'ere Mr. Potter!" Ginny mimed a camera and faux-snapped picture of Harry. Everyone started laughing and imitating fans and photographers.  
"Hello, nice reception." George walked in through the gate arm-in-arm with Angelina Johnson. They both waved to their adoring public. Angelina did a Queen's wave.  
"Hey Angelina!" Exclaimed Hermione.  
"Hi Hermione, Ginny." She turned curious eyes on Gaby.  
"Oh, Angelina, this is my adopted sister, Gabrielle Delacour. She's in her third year of Hogwarts." George explain.  
"Delacour?" Angelina asked, quizzically.  
"She's our sister in law already, 'cause her older sister married our older brother Bill, but her parents were killed in the war against you-know-who. She moved here so she could live near her sister. And we adopted her." Explained Ron.  
"Shall we go sit down?" Asked George, turning to Angelina.  
"Sure. Join us?" Angelina looked over her shoulder.  
"We'll come." Ron walked after them, holding hands with Hermione.  
"Someone's coming." Harry spoke softly for the second time. Sure enough, they all fell silent soon enough to hear a soft _pop!_  
"Hello everybody," Percy entered the yard with a smile on his face. "Hello Harry, Ginny, Gaby." He added, referring to everyone still standing in the yard.  
"How have you been?" He asked Harry. And everyone started to walk up to the tables.

Ginny bit her lip. She had, thanks to her mother's matchmaking, been seated next to Harry, who was on her left. On her right, mercifully, was Angelina. On Harry's left was Percy, then Mr. Weasley at the end of the table. Next to Mr. Weasley was Bill on his right; who was next to Fleur, who was busy tending to baby Victorie; then Hermione; then Ron. At the other head of the table was the empty chair of Mrs. Weasley. Finally, next to Angelina, was George. Ginny was very carefully cutting her food, trying not to brush Harry, not to touch him. She tried to keep her eyes from straying to him.  
"So, Ginny, how are you doing with the job situation?" Asked Hermione as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. Ginny shook her head frantically, trying to communicate silently to her that this subject must be dropped. But she could feel her mum's suspicious eyes on her. She cleared her throat.  
"Er, it's fine, I um, got lucky." Ginny knew that she had already gone wrong.  
"In what?" Asked Angelina, who had missed Ginny's head shaking and multiple SOS mimes.  
"Yeah, what are you doing?" Asked Bill curiously.  
"Yeah!" Everyone agreed enthusiastically. It wasn't that Ginny wasn't satisfied with her job. It paid well and she liked it. But announcing it in front of her mother was paramount to saying that she had decided to move to Switzerland.  
"Ginevra," Her mother said warningly. "Do tell."  
"Well, er, I'm on the Hollyhead Harpies Quidditch team." She admitted, looking up to bear the brunt of her mother's fury.

"WHAAAAAAT?" Asked Molly, yelling into Ginny's face. Ginny bowed her head, biting her lip to the point of drawing blood. Great.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Anger of the Molly

"What did you just say, Ginevra?" Molly Weasley said icily. Ginny swore she saw ice climbing her mother's silverware.  
"I said I joined a Quidditch team." Ginny said firmly. She held her head up, trying not to flinch.  
"That's what I thought you said." Her mother 's jaw was clenched.  
"And?" Said Ron, turning away from a conversation with Arthur. "What about it?" He asked, setting down his fork and knife.  
"Well, I just thought Ginevra of all of you would think to get a steady job with less possible injury and more practicality." Said Molly lightly, helping herself to more chicken.  
"George has an occupation that you used to disapprove of, and he's pretty well off." Angelina said gently, who was holding George's hand.  
"Yes, dear, but George's shop is profitable." Molly said firmly. "I don't want my only daughter to go into _that_ kind of business."  
"What kind of business?" Asked Angelina pointedly.  
"Angie's the captain of the Northward Gnomes." George informed the group. Ginny had heard that name somewhere before . . .  
"Oh, Angelina dear, I didn't mean-"  
"No offense taken, Mrs. Weasley." Angelina said quickly.  
"So," Said Gaby, turning to George. "How are things in the shop?"  
"Fine," Said George, gulping some pumpkin juice. "By the way, Harry, that idea you had for the chocolate brooms was brilliant."  
"What?" Asked Ginny, not able to master her curiosity anymore.  
"Harry had this brilliant idea for brooms made of chocolate with players on them. He designed one of Viktor Krum and they're selling like hotcakes." George said proudly, patting Harry's shoulder.  
"Wow!" Said Ron. "That's great. We need a selling point on that." He rested his elbow on the table and bit his lip.  
"What?" Asked Molly again. "Ronald Weasley, are you working in the joke shop or the ministry?" She looked particularly angry now.  
"Mum-"  
"It's not everyday that two children disappoint me at once." Molly said angrily. Everyone looked pointedly at George, and the place beside him where Fred should be. "OK, maybe two at once, but not twice in one meal!" Molly exclaimed. "Ronal-"  
"I'M NOT WORKING AT THE JOKE SHOP!" Roared Ron. He stood up. "For god's sake Mum, don't you trust me? You've seen my office, you've met my co-workers, and you still think I might be lying to you?"  
"Mum, Ron does work in the auror office, it's just that I've been having trouble managing the shop on my own. A lot of the old assistants quit and without Fred the place seems so empty. I needed someone else to help me hire some new employees, and Ron was happy to help. He just helps out around the shop occasionally." George assured his Mother.  
"Oh," Molly said softly. "I'm sorry, Ron."  
"It's fine," Said Ron, sitting back down.  
"Hey," Said Molly. "George, did you say there were any openings in the shop?"  
"Mum, we all know what you're trying to do. It won't work, this is Ginny's decision." George said firmly.  
"Hello, all." Percy said, strolling in a bit late. "Sorry, there was a crisis. What have I missed?"  
"Not much." Said Ginny dryly. "All you missed was Mum getting remarkably angry at two people in record time."  
"Ginevra," Molly said in a warning voice. "Lasagna, Arthur?"  
"Please." Mr. Weasley took a seat. "So, how are you, Hermione? I've heard there is some interesting legislation about house-elves."

"Hey." It was after dinner, and Ginny had walked up to Harry, who was standing in the kitchen.  
"Hi." Harry turned slightly to face her. He had carried his plate up to the kitchen from outside, despite Molly trying to convince him to let her take it.  
"How are you?" Asked Ginny, pushing gently passed Harry to the sink. She started washing dishes nonchalantly as Harry piled them on the counter.  
"I'm doing okay." Harry replied, passing Ginny the rest of the dishes that he was carrying. "Work is grueling, but I'm getting used to it." He ducked out of the kitchen and walked outside.

Ginny bent her head over a piece of parchment as she wrote her thank-you note to Professor Slughorn. When she started writing, Ginny didn't really known what she would say. _'Thanks so much for helping me get this job! You saved me from having to work in a shop full of flying chocolate and small explosions!'_  
Ginny had long since finished eating. Everyone was talking and drinking outside. As a child, Ginny had always wanted to stay up and hear what the grown-ups were talking about. Now that she was one of them, she found herself receding from their company. She felt as though she'd returned to the years of her childhood, when she'd sit inside and wait for desert, just as she was now. Her Mum had said that the cake had to be iced, so the remaining adults were gossiping together. Most of the table was full, despite Gabrielle having been shooed away and Fleur following her so that they could talk and she could nurse her baby. Molly was in the kitchen, and Ginny was wandering aimlessly. She finally decided to walk up to the broom shed. It was dusk already, and the summer air was warm. Ginny knew no one would see her if she flew low. Ginny left through the front door then crept around the back so that no one would see her. She walked up, losing her breath. She was shocked at how out of shape she was. She'd not flown most of the summer, besides the try-outs. She unlocked the padlock on the shed and pulled out her broom. She gripped the broom's handle and pushed off, closing her eyes and feeling the wind rushing in her hair.  
A few minutes later, Ginny put her broom down at the foot of her tree. As a child, her tree had been her only friend. She'd told it everything. Ginny had spent a lot of her childhood talking to her tree, telling it about her frustrations and complaining about her mother and brothers. Her tree had never been good at giving advice, but it was always ready to listen.  
"Hey, Tree." Ginny said as she climbed to her favorite branch. It had been several years since she'd climbed to the top of her tree. "So, Harry and I broke up. Ages ago, really. More than two years. I miss him, but I guess he doesn't feel the same way. He's so distant now, I guess he just lost interest or something." Ginny gazed upward. Four years ago, she'd been able to see the night sky from her spot in the tree, but now the branches had grown higher and thicker. The years had changed the tree almost as much as they had changed Ginny. She parted the branches above her head and stood on her branch so that she could see the night sky as the sun started to set and dusk approached. Such was her wonder, looking so intently at the heavens, that she didn't notice a figure with wide shoulders in a leather jacket, get up from the foot of the tree where he had been sitting and walk away.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Last Weekend

"Hey," Was the first word Ginny heard as she woke up on Saturday morning, the morning after Harry's birthday. The first thing she realized was that her pillow was missing. The second was that Gabrielle was sitting on her, and the third was that Gabrielle was hitting her with her own pillow.  
"Ughhhhhh." Ginny screwed her eyes up tight against the morning sun coming in the window and curled up into a ball under the covers.  
"Will you just get up?" Gaby stopped pummeling her with the pillow and pulled back Ginny's blankets. She flailed against the sunlight, but eventually gave up, pulling a sweater on over her nightdress and retreating to the bathroom.

When she came out, Gaby was standing at the door.  
"Since you don't have work today, and this is my last weekend at home, Mum said you can take me to Diagon Alley to do school shopping. We're leaving in fifteen minutes, so get dressed and I'll get you some toast." Gabrielle walked away without waiting for a response.  
"More like Mum every day." Muttered Ginny as she shuffled slowly back to her room.  
"I heard that!"

Roughly ten minutes later, Ginny was drinking coffee at the breakfast table. Gaby rushed down the stairs with her school list and a knit bag she'd gotten as a welcome-home present from Hermione.  
"Girls, I want you home by four, I need your help cleaning." Mrs. Weasley had just come in from feeding the chickens.  
"What for?" Asked Ginny, finishing off her toast.  
"I'll tell you when you get back, so don't be late." Molly waved her wand and the breakfast table started to clean itself under her watchful eye.  
"Fine, Mum." Ginny reached for the floo powder.  
"Bye, Mum, love you." Gaby took a pinch and both girls were gone in an instant.

"Okay," Ginny had just helped her little sister out of the fireplace of The Leaky Cauldron. The girls dusted themselves off and nodded to Tom, the barkeeper. He smiled toothlessly and tipped an imaginary hat to Gabrielle, who blew him a kiss. The two entered Diagon Alley and glanced around a bit before-  
"Hey!" Ginny turned and saw Lavender, a girl in Harry's year.  
"Hello, Lavender." She smiled a little coldly. She remembered how Lavender had gushed over Harry days after the Yule Ball, arguing with her friend Parvati over some stupid detail of Harry's behavior.  
"Ginny, I want you to meet my fiancé." Lavender introduced a tall blond boy to Ginny. "John, Ginny, Ginny, John. Oh, and Ginny, isn't this your sister Gabrielle? Great to see you, got to run. Bye!"  
"Wow." Gabrielle said after they had gotten moving again. "She sure can talk."  
"You have that right. Come on, we have lots to buy. And then I have a few things to look into."  
"Well then let's hurry! It's already ten thirty, and we have to be home by four!"

Ginny took a sip of her pumpkin juice and yawned. Her early start that day was catching up with her. It was nearly one o'clock, so Ginny and Gabrielle had stopped for lunch at The Leaky Cauldron. The two girls had gotten all of Gaby's school things, her new spell books, her new robes, new parchment and some quills.  
"You ready to head home?" Asked Gaby, gathering her purchases. Ginny watched in amazement as Gaby crammed all of her books, quills, robes, and packages into her knit bag. "What's with that bag?"  
"Hermione gave it to me, you know that." Gaby laughed.  
"You sure can fit a lot in there." Ginny stood, awed by the plethora of purchases disappearing into Gaby's bag.  
"She said it had some kind of extension charm on it." Gaby replied, putting the last of her new robes in on top of everything else.  
"Ah," Ginny got up and walked over to the fireplace with Gaby. Ginny pulled a small glass bottle out of the pocket of her robes, and she gave Gaby some flu powder.

Ginny puffed a piece of hair out of her face with an annoyed breath. She had been busy turning down beds, cleaning, washing and dusting for the past two hours. Her mum had put her to work almost as soon as she'd gotten home. Gaby had been allowed to quit helping out half an hour ago, because she was leaving for Hogwarts the next day and needed to finish packing. And Molly still wouldn't tell Ginny or Gaby why they were cleaning the house from cellar to attic.

She was in Percy's old room. Ginny had helped clean the kitchen before her own room, and then she was told to start at the top and make her way down. The ghoul had been kicked out of Ron's room by Molly; after he'd shattered a window and nearly thrown off the entire balance of the house. He lived in the broom shack now, where Mrs. Weasly didn't have to deal with him. Ron lived in a small flat that he shared with Harry, and he hadn't been in his old room for nearly three years. Gaby had taken over Ron's old room, and it was probably the newest and nicest in the house.

Ginny was so exhausted, she felt as though even breathing would cause her to pass out. She had spent her afternoon cleaning the remaining empty bedrooms. Percy's room, although almost empty, was clean. Bill and Charlie's old room had been quite challenging, due to it being full of junk. Ginny highly suspected that Fred and George had dumped all of their early experiments in there. Where else would those gingerbread men have come from? She'd spent the better part of an hour getting gum drops out of her hair. Fred and George's room, on the other hand, was quite clean, with all of the boxes of stuff they had left behind stacked against the wall. Ginny didn't even go through those boxes. She just wrote a note to George and put it on top of one of the boxes. Then she waved her wand and sent the boxes to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

After Ginny finished emptying all three rooms, she wandered downstairs to check in on how Gaby was doing wearing her Mum down.  
"How are we doing?" Asked Ginny quietly, leaning her elbows on the table and raising her eyebrows at Gaby, who was washing something in the sink.  
"Failing terribly. I'm desperate enough to resort to rapid-fire questioning." Gaby whispered back, pushing her sleeve up with her nose, since she was elbow-deep in sudsy water.  
"Eek." Ginny responded.  
"Indeed." Gaby replied, withdrawing her now red, slightly scalded arms from the hot water.  
"What are you washing?" Ginny asked in a normal voice.  
"The tablecloth mum wants to use has a stain in it, and she's making me wash it like a muggle." Gaby complained, pulling the edge of the blue-flowered cloth out of the sink.  
"Oh, don't be so negative. You know you'll be missing mum bossing you around when you're on the train tomorrow." Ginny teased. Gaby's face fell a bit. "Gaby?"  
"It's just . . ." Gaby trailed off a bit. "I'm always so excited to go to Hogwarts, but then when I get there I'm missing you, and Mum and Dad, and Mamman and Papa . . ." She trailed off, contorting her face in thought. When Gaby said 'Mamman' she meant her mother, Apoline, who had been killed in the war. 'Papa' was her real father. Ginny knew a lot about her adopted sister. She knew that Gaby spent her nights crying to herself for a year and a half. She knew that her mum loved Gaby, loved having another little girl in the house, since Molly'd only had the one. Ginny knew her sister, but she knew herself better, which was why she rushed to take Gaby in her arms, before the other girl could see her tears.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Announcement

"Hello!" Mrs. Weasley smiled happily at all of her guests. It had been barely twenty-four hours since she had seen all of them last, but she still was excited, like a little girl with a secret. Everyone was sitting around the table, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Bill (Fleur couldn't make it, Victorie was having a fit of colic.), Percy, George and Angelina. "Hello, everyone! Welcome back!"  
"Mum, they were here yesterday." Ginny rolled her eyes, folding the corner of a drooping napkin with a flick of her wand.  
"So? I have some great news! Can I not be happy when I have good news?" Molly was indignant, but still smiling.  
"You can be happy, but don't knock the rest of us." Muttered Gaby as she slouched outside to join the group. Gabrielle was still cranky from her unsuccessful interrogation (or lack thereof).  
"Gabrielle!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. Clearly, her good mood wasn't going to last.  
"Good evening, everybody." Mr. Weasley walked out into the back yard, waving to everyone.  
"Hello, Mr. Weasley." Harry gave Arthur a smile.  
"Harry, how many times have I asked you to call me Arthur?" Mr. Weasley replied good-naturedly, leading the others to the table. Everyone followed, taking their seats and beginning with their routine small talk. However, there was a new addition to the usual chit-chat.  
"Percy, I've not bothered you about it, and I understand that you're focusing on your career, but when are you going to go out and try to meet people?" Molly began. "I mean, why don't you go down to the three broomsticks and meet a girl?" Percy looked petrified. He was unprepared to justify his girlfriendless status to his mother.  
"Mum, why don't you just tell us your terribly exciting, super-riveting news that you've been keeping a secret from us all day?" Gaby asked, still crabby. Her question is less in defense of Percy, and more annoyed at her Mum.  
"Oh, yes, of course." Molly said, momentarily distracted. "Well, as you all know, I've had a lot of time on my hands lately, so I've been cleaning the house. And, Arthur and I decided, that, in order to bring some money in and to keep me busy, we're taking in boarders."  
"Boarders?" Asked Gabrielle, shocked.  
"Yes, your father wants to retire someday." Molly said, smiling a little. "Plus, the food, laundry and cleanup will keep me busy."  
"Well," Harry said slowly, feeling eyes on him. Clearly, everyone wanted him to say something. "I think it's a great idea." Harry inclined his head toward Mrs. Weasley.  
"Thank you, Harry." Mrs. Weasley replied, going back to the kitchen to get the diner.

The next morning, a loud thumping woke Ginny. She pulled on some robes and went to go investigate.  
"Took you long enough." Gaby said, loudly lowering her trunk down two more steps.  
"You woke me up so that I could bring your trunk downstairs by magic?" Ginny asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning. It was too early to be angry.  
"Yes." Gaby said simply. "Now, help me!"  
"No way. You woke me up, you can do this on your own." Ginny walked down the hall to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Ten minutes later, Ginny descended the steps with her hair in a high ponytail and in a much better mood. She walked over to the stove and scooped an egg out of the frying pan, and tuned into the argument her parents were having.  
"Arthur, she's too young!" Molly said, bringing a plate of toast to the table.  
"She's twelve, and this year it's even more pointless to argue. There's only the three of us." Mr. Weasley replied, buttering a piece of the toast. Gabrielle stomped loudly down the stairs and took the seat next to Ginny.  
"What are you both going on about now?" Gaby asked, reaching for a piece of toast.  
"Your mother believes that you are too young for side-along apparition." Arthur said dryly, taking a swig of coffee.  
"She's twelve! We can take a ministry car." Mrs. Weasley said again, now quite irritated.  
"We don't need a ministry car. I'm not even sure we could get one!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed.  
"You're not sure you could get one? You're the head of the Muggle Communications Department, of course you can get a car!" Even with anger in her voice, you could hear the pride Molly felt for her husband's new position.  
"Please, Molly. Just listen! Ginny's going to apparate anyway, and you and I will have Gabrielle, she'll be perfectly safe." Arthur was on the edge of hysteria by now.  
"Fine then, we'll apparate. But god help you if Gabrielle doesn't arrive in one piece!" Molly turned away from her husband and began cleaning up the table angrily. Ginny hurriedly ate the last of her eggs before her mother whisked away her plate. Molly gave Gabrielle a glass of orange juice and at the same time flicking her wand to put Gabrielle's unruly hair into a tidy, silvery-blond braid in a fraction of a second.  
"Mum!" Gaby pulled the braid over her shoulder and fingered her silky hair.  
"Well, you can't go to Hogwarts looking like a ruffled poodle!" Molly replied, agitated.  
"Gaby, you know you'll miss it when you're at Hogwarts. You always do." Ginny teased.  
"Oh, shut up." Gabrielle threw a napkin at Ginny.

"Ready?" Arthur asked Gaby as he took her hand. Molly took Gabrielle's other hand as she shoved her purse on over her shoulder.  
"Ready." Gaby confirmed, sounding nervous.  
"Ginny, we'll meet you there, okay?" Molly reminded her.  
"Yes, Mum." Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled on her jean jacket, grabbing her purse with one hand, she turned on the spot.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Goodbye and Hello

"Promise to write to me?" Gaby whispered into Ginny's ear as the two hugged.  
"Promise. I'll see you at Christmas." Ginny kissed her sister's cheek.  
"Bye, Mum." Gaby hugged her mother too.  
"Have a good term, love." Molly smoothed Gabrielle's hair one last time, and kissed her forehead. "Send us an owl after the feast." Gabrielle gave Arthur one last hug, then walked away from her family, dragging her trunk and hopping on the train. Ginny saw a pair of girls run towards Gabrielle, giggling. They hugged. Ginny sighed. She often forgot that Gabrielle had a separate life from her. Since the events of her sixth year at Hogwarts, Ginny had trouble making new friends. She just wanted things to go back to normal, whatever normal was for her family.  
"Ginny, we're going." Molly informed her, pulling her knitted poncho around her. "Oh, and this arrived for you earlier." Ginny took the tiny scroll of parchment from her mother. She watched the train pull out of the station, waving to Gaby. She gazed after the train, nostalgic, until it was out of sight. Suddenly, Ginny felt so alone. She was standing on platform 9 and 3/4, surrounded by people she didn't know and feeling the deep sadness that she thought had been buried away deep enough. Ginny turned to where her parents had been, but they were gone. She shivered, pulling her shawl around her, and opened up the parchment scroll.

_Dear Ginny,_  
_Would you join me for lunch today at twelve thirty? I look forward to seeing you if you are available._

_Love, Hermione_

Ginny smiled. This was just what she needed. Hermione was always sympathetic to her problems, listening to her and offering suggestions. Ginny pulled a small quill out of her pocket and scrawled a reply on the back of Hermione's note.

It was only eleven when Ginny decided to have lunch with Hermione, so she apparated to Diagon Alley to run some errands. First, she stopped by the post office and sent her reply to Hermione. Then she went to Quality Quidditch Supplies to check the price of a new broom and buy some new robes for practice.  
"Hello, welcome to Quality Quidditch supplies, how may I help you?" Asked someone behind her in a bored monotone.  
"Hi, I'm just looking for some practice robes." Ginny replied, turning around. "Oh my god! Ashley?"  
"Ginny?" The girl was surprised. Then again, so was Ginny. The Ashley Stone she remembered was way different. That Ashley had long, straight blond hair, was really short, and wore her Hogwarts robes hitched up as high as possible. _This_ Ashley had dark blond, chin-length curly hair, with lilac purple streaked side-bangs. She was also wearing a pair of mustard yellow robes that had her name on the back, like model quidditch robes.  
"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, running a hand through her hair.  
"I work here." Ashley said, gesturing to the shop around them. "And you?"  
"I'm on a quidditch team, and I need some new practice robes. I'm also looking into a new broom." Ginny explained.  
"Oh, really? Which team are you on?" Ashley raised an eyebrow.  
"I just became a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies." Ginny replied modestly.  
"No way! That's so cool." Ashley squealed. "When's your first game?"  
"The Wednesday after next." Ginny said, biting her lip. "I'm kind of nervous."  
"You know what you need? To boost your confidence?" Ashley asked, having an idea.  
"A miracle?"  
"No, too expensive. I was thinking more along the lines of a hair cut." Admitted Ashley, eyeing Ginny's long, messy hair.  
"You're brilliant!" Ginny smiled at Ashley, and hugged her old friend.  
"So, are you free tomorrow afternoon?" Ashley asked in reply.  
"Sure! How about three?"  
"Perfect! I have a favorite muggle salon, you'll love it."

Ginny dashed from where she had apparated, racing to get to Hermione and her favorite restaurant. It was a muggle place, a Chinese place down the street from the Ministry. It had been run by the same family for ages, founded by the great-grandmother, and kept running by the second generation. Teenaged kids of the people who ran the place hung out, doing their homework in between waiting tables. Ginny ran into the restaurant, and slid hurriedly into their favorite booth.  
"Too slow." Hermione smiled sweetly up at Ginny. She was sitting in the booth, wearing a pantsuit.  
"Hi, Hermione. What's with the fancy-pants?" Ginny leaned over the table and hugged Hermione.  
"Figured I'd just get us looked at weird if I walked in here in my work robes." Hermione pushed her purse off the edge of the table and onto the seat beside her.  
"Okay, Ginny, do you want to choose tea, or talk first?" Hermione asked. Usually, when the girls met to eat lunch, either or both of them had to vent about something. Who ever wanted to vent less got to choose the flavor of the tea they would drink with their lunch.  
"I'll choose the tea." Ginny replied, unfolding the menu and crossing her legs.

"Anyway, so then my supervisor goes really loud and says 'You want to help house-elves? Go work with the whoosy-whatsit elf liberation front!' I just hate people who think they know better than me just because I'm a woman." Hermione seethed.  
"Ne, I don't think it's because you're a woman. It's probably only because you believe in equal rights for all creatures. Plus, you dropped your Auror training to pursue a career in wizarding law." Ginny offered.  
"So, what's your deal, anyway? Family problems, romance or general job annoyance? Those tend to be your topics of choice." Hermione quipped as she took a bite of her egg roll.  
"Hey, I do not choose these items, they choose me!"  
"I get it, Ginny. Hey, who gets it more than me? I didn't choose a sarcastic, obnoxious boss."  
"Thanks, Ne. So, I got this job . . ."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: A Girl's Best Friend

Ginny woke early and made herself an egg. She wanted to sneak out of the house, to avoid another lecture from her mom about long-term career goals. Like Molly was one to talk! She'd never had a job other than mother and housekeeper. Ginny was wearing the new workout clothes she'd bought from Quality Quidditch Supplies, light fabrics in pastel colors that favored her skin tone. She left the house hastily and, grabbing her broom, disapparated.

Ginny arrived at the stadium a few seconds later. Now that Ashley had put the idea into her head, she was really looking forward to losing a few inches of hair. Ginny swept her tresses back into a high ponytail and dropped her bag in the locker room. When she emerged from the locker room, a black-cloaked figure was flying around the stadium. Ginny smiled to herself, and climbed onto her broom, kicking off the ground.  
"So," Ginny said, soaring past the rider, trying to get a glimpse at the person's face. "We meet again." The rider was silent, merely nodding. "So, you don't talk." Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Well, I guess that's that, then. See, I don't trust people who don't show their faces." To make her point, Ginny removed her hood. The faceless person fell back on their broom, as if they'd seen a ghost, then raced away on their broom and disapparated. Ginny was surprised, and sunk on her broom to the ground. What was so shocking about her?  
"Well, isn't that a man of mystery?" A girl asked, standing behind Ginny. She had black hair with blue streaks, and she was of medium build. "Hi," The girl smiled at Ginny, offering a hand for her to shake. "I'm Penelope. I'm a chaser, we didn't get a chance to meet yet."  
"I'm Ginny. Maybe we met at Hogwarts?" She asked, shaking the girl's hand.  
"Probably not." Penelope tilted her head to the side and smirked a bit. "I was at Hogwarts five years ago. A bit before your time, I think."  
"A bit. I just graduated this year." Ginny explained.  
"Cool. So, who's your mysterious boyfriend?" Penelope raised her eyebrows and gave Ginny a look as she tied a pink bandana over her shoulder-length hair.  
"That's not my mysterious boyfriend. My mysterious boyfriend dumped me three years ago." Ginny replied, jumping on her broom and hovering, waiting for Penelope.  
"So that's your non-mysterious boyfriend?" Quipped another girl as she walked out of the locker room.  
"How did you get by without us noticing?" Penelope asked the girl, mounting her own broom and kicking off to hover next to Ginny.  
"I apparated directly into the locker room." The girl confessed. "I lack super-stealthy skills."  
"Ginny, this is Dalia, she's the keeper." Dalia wiggled her fingers at Ginny in a playful wave as she mounted her own broom. She was tiny for a keeper. She was barely five foot two, and as skinny as a stick. Her hair was long and blond, and she had sparkling green eyes.  
"Hi! How old are you, anyway? You're so young!" Dalia kicked off and joined the others in the air.  
"That's what I said!" Penelope exclaimed, flying a few feet away and practicing her grips.  
"I'm eighteen." Ginny did a sharp turn and tightened her grip on her broom.  
"Really? So who was that guy, anyway?" Penelope asked, gripping her broom with her knees and hanging upside down. "I know I saw someone."  
"I dunno." Ginny said truthfully. _But I have a hunch_, she thought to herself.  
"You dunno what?" Teased Penelope, making a face at Ginny.  
"Hey! I really don't know who that was. I first saw him/her that time I came in for tryouts." Ginny explained.  
"Well, there's two ways to find out who it is." Dalia said, practicing a bock.  
"And those are?" Asked Ginny, circling Dalia as she kept blocking an imaginary opponent.  
"Well, you can tell everyone you know about it, and ask them if it's them," Penelope suggested, throwing an imaginary quaffle through the middle goal.  
"Or, you can gather all of the information you know about your man in black and we can deduce who it is, as long as you think it's someone you know." Dalia finished, waving her wand to summon a real quaffle.  
_P-fffft! _The screech of a whistle announced the arrival of Coach Jones.  
"Hey! Weasley, Jakes, Donson!" She blew her whistle again.  
"Yes, Ma'am?" All the girls asked, turning to face her on their brooms.  
"The team is meeting in the locker room NOW!" Jones walked back to the locker room.  
"So, shall we hang out after practice to discuss your masked stranger?" Asked Dalia as the girls soared down to the ground and dismounted their brooms.  
"Sorry, I can't. I'm meeting a friend at three. How about tomorrow?" Ginny offered.  
"Sounds great. How's lunch tomorrow?"  
"Sweet."

Ginny sat at the table in her mother's kitchen, doing her best not to groan. Her mother had spent fifteen minutes lecturing her about her job, five about the state of her room, and ten about her love life.  
"Mum, may I just eat? I'm meeting my friend Ashley at three, and since, _as you keep reminding me_, I need to clean my room, lunch should be about now."  
"Fine, fine. Excuse your mother for loving you."  
"It's okay, Mum."  
"Ginny!"  
"Sorry, Mum." Ginny ducked her head and waved her wand, conjuring up a sandwich.

As she jogged down to the muggle Hair Salon, Ginny wondered how she wanted her hair to look. She had not thought of doing much it. She'd seen all kinds of odd hair on girls recently, from the dye she'd seen in the hair of her fellow quidditch players and Ashley's. She dashed into the store, and sat, down, ruffled, in the seat closest to the door.  
"Hey," Ashley smiled and raised her eyebrows. She was wearing a pair of cut-off jeans and a tank top. Ash was reading one of the magazines on the plexi-glass table sitting in the center of the waiting area.  
"Sorry I'm late, but I had to apparate two blocks away, or I'd get fined." Ginny pulled her hair out of her messy ponytail.  
"Wow, your hair is long than I thought." Ashley smiled. "I come here every few months, y'know, just for a little change."  
"I haven't had my hair cut in ages." Ginny confessed, finger-combing rapidly.  
"It's okay," Ashley assured her. "I live in a tiny flat, and I barely have the time to sleep."  
"Seriously, you have your own place?" Ginny asked, in awe.  
"Yup," Ashley replied ruefully. She got up and walked with Ginny over to the stylist's chairs.  
"Hey," The youngest one was Asian, with black, layered hair and random green streaks. "First timer?" She asked.  
"Jadea, this is Ginny, we went to school together."  
"Cool." Jadea smiled. "So, what do you girls want?" Jadea sat the two of them down in spinning chairs next to each other.  
"I want just a bit of a trim and maybe forehead bangs?" Ashley asked, fluffing up her side bangs.  
"Yeah, I can see that." Jadea smoothed down Ashley's curls and nodded. "We'd have to perm it straight, though, for the bangs to work."  
"Yeah, I like that idea. And maybe layer it, shorter in the back, a bit longer in the front?" Ashley gestured loosely around the nape of her neck.  
"Woah, girl." Jadea raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. "You're beginning to look a bit corporate in that image."  
"Oh, sorry. Let's dye the bangs navy blue." Ashley laughed.  
"So, you want to go lighter with your hair, Ginny? Because you can go blonder gradually if you want." Asked Jadea, waving a comb.  
"Really?" Ginny asked, interested. "You seriously negotiate over every shade and highlight, the length, and what the hell is corporate?"  
"Well, I want something different every time." Ashley said.  
"Corporate, well. Corporate is when you conform to the normal ways. No more crazy hair colors, no more fun cuts, just normality." Jadea explained.  
"So, corporate is like doing what people want you to do, accepting the standard." Ginny summarized.  
"Yup." Jadea replied, combing through Ashley's hair.  
"So, Ginny. What are you gonna do with your hair?" Asked Ashley.  
"I didn't think about it." confessed Ginny.  
"Well, I think you should go with really short bangs and the rest of it cut to your shoulders." Jadea suggested.

About an hour later, Ginny and Ashley walked out of the hair place. Ashley had gone for the bob cut and navy-blue bangs she'd thought of, and her hair had been dyed from ash-blonde to white-blonde. Ginny had her hair a little shorter and went for a few pieces of wispy bangs.  
"You look great." Ginny told her friend as the two sat down for coffee at a nearby cafe.  
"We both do." Ashley grinned.  
"So, what's the deal with your family?" Asked Ginny.  
"Well, I'm half and half, so my Mum and Dad skipped town with my two little sisters. They're somewhere in America." Ashley said, drinking the foam off the top of her latte.  
"Wow, so what are you doing? Like, living, working?" Ginny asked, biting into her chocolate cookie.  
"Well, I'm living in a tiny flat above a shop that sells spray tans, and I'm working at The Quality Quidditch Supplies to pay the rent. I want to work at the ministry, in the Arithmancy Department."  
"No way! But isn't the Artithmancy Department super impossible to get into? Like, the-place-has-three-people hard to get into?" Ginny asked, stirring her caramel flavored coffee.  
"You got it. So, here's to my impossible dreams!" Ashley raised her coconut latte and Ginny clinked hers with it.  
"And mine!" Ginny smiled.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Boarders

Ginny arrived home at five o'clock, and ran right into chaos. Of course, her mother was orchestrating it.  
"Hello, Ginny. We're interviewing people in five minutes. Would you put on some tea, or coffee? Whatever you do, just do it fast." Molly dashed by, carrying about seven books, a few rolls of parchment and a quill.  
"Hi, mum. Who are we interviewing and why?" Ginny asked, waving her wand to put the kettle on.  
"We're meeting some potential boarders. You don't think I would let someone move in without meeting them, do you?" Mrs. Weasley tutted under her breath.  
"Okay, mum. I'll be down in a minute and a half." Ginny dashed up the stairs and dropped her bag on her bed and carefully ruffled her new haircut. Running back down the stairs, she fetched the tea and set out a tea tray on the coffee table.  
"Oh, Ginny, you got your hair cut. It looks nice." Molly smiled and carefully set up her inkpot and a plate of cookies, and sat in a chair.  
"Thanks," Ginny gave her new cut a quick tug and sat in the other armchair.  
Molly wrote a few notes on a roll of parchment, and Ginny just sat there until there was a knock on the door. Springing up, she answered it. She showed in a guy about her age, looking remarkably nervous. Ginny smiled at him and took her seat. He sat on the couch. The guy had shaggy brown hair, and was about Ginny's height.  
"Hello, my name is Molly Weasley." Ginny's mother smiled at the boy and indicated the coffee and cookies to him.  
"Thank you," He said, helping himself. "I'm Spencer Ericson." He smiled at them, taking a bite of one of the cookies.  
"Hi Spencer, I'm Ginny." She gave him a little wave.  
"Hey." He replied.  
"So, Spencer. Ginny will show you the room. Ginny, show him to Bill and Charlie's old room." Molly told Ginny, giving her a key. _Since when do the rooms in our house have keys?_ Ginny thought, but kept it to herself. She led Spencer up the stairs.  
"Wow," Spencer said. "This is some house." It was true. Pictures of the family were everywhere. Charlie on his first broomstick, a snapshot of Fred and George in matching sweaters. Those kinds of pictures made you wonder how anything bad could happen to those people.  
"I guess that's a compliment." Ginny smiled, walked up the last flight of stairs to Bill and Charlie's old room. She put the key in the new lock and opened the door. She was shocked to see that her mother had gotten very busy up there.

The room was transformed. The rusty bed-frame had been polished to shininess, and there were new sheets on the bed. There was a bookshelf, a nice carpet and the windows had curtains for a change.  
"Of course, you have complete liberty to do whatever you want with the room, furnishings and all. Repair services for the actual room are our responsibility. Also, the other services provided include laundry, and dinner and breakfast for no extra charge." Ginny read off of the paper her mother had shoved into her hand.  
"Nice." Spencer said appreciatively. "You live here too?" He asked as he inspected the room.  
"Yup." Ginny said.  
"With that woman?" Spencer checked the view from the window.  
"My mum." Ginny laughed.  
"Seriously? God, I'm sorry." Spencer turned a bit red.  
"About her being my mum? Me too."  
"She seemed nice." Spencer added lamely as Ginny shut the door behind them.  
"She always does." Ginny responded sweetly, pocketing the key. "I think she has some questions for you." She told him as they descended the stairs.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Next Few Days

The week that followed the interviews was quick. Ginny went to work, wrote to her sister at Hogwarts, hung out with her friends, and stayed out of her mother's way as much as possible. But her Mum finally cornered her on Friday morning.  
"Ginny, you haven't been around much this week." Molly began, handing Ginny a plate with buttered toast and bacon. Ginny started eating. When her mother started like this, Ginny knew she wanted something. "This afternoon, I want you to help the boarders move in. Spencer, Carly and Danielle will be here around 1:30, and you should be too. I've invited everyone over for Friday night supper, as usual, just the family. Get acquainted with the boarders. They'll be here for a while."  
"Yes, Mum." Ginny said, mentally canceling her lunch date with Hermione. It was useless to argue with her Molly when she knew she was in the right.  
"Do you have work today?" Molly asked, sitting across from Ginny and grabbing a few tablecloths to fold.  
"Yup, in half an hour. We finish at eleven." Ginny bit a piece of bacon.  
"Long practices." Molly said, folding a butter-yellow tablecloth.  
"First game is Wednesday." Ginny said, by way of explanation.  
"Oh." Molly replied.

Running upstairs after breakfast, Ginny scribbled a quick note to Hermione.

'_Mione- Can't make lunch today. See you this weekend. –Ginny_

Attaching the little piece of parchment to Pigwidgeon's leg, Ginny grabbed her robes and disapparated. Pigwidgeon flew out the window as she left.

After practice, Ginny showered and apparated back home. She arrived at her front door at the same time as Spencer.  
"Hey," She smiled as she opened the door.  
"Hi," He said, waving with one hand and supporting a dozen boxes with his wand.  
"How are you going to get that through the door with those?" Ginny laughed, walking in.  
"Like this." Spencer waved his wand and the boxes disappeared. "I sent them upstairs." He said, following her through the door.  
"Nice. Wait one sec, let me drop this stuff in my room, and then I'll help you out." Ginny started up the stairs.  
"What do I need help with?" Asked Spencer, walking up after her.  
"I'm helping you unpack and set up your room." Ginny ducked into her room and grabbed a hair tie, dumping her quidditch bag on the bed.  
"On your mother's orders, I take it?" Spencer raised his eyebrows, walking up another flight of stairs after Ginny.  
"You got it." Ginny unlocked the door to Spencer's new room. "Oh, hey. This is yours now." She handed him the key. The old-fashioned key was attached to a silvery ring with a number 1 on the ring.  
"Cool, it's all fancy." Spencer smiled and jangled the keys to make a rattling noise.  
"The only thing in this house." Ginny agreed with a laugh. She walked into the room and began to help unpack. "Oh, by the way, be sure to be ready for dinner at seven."

About half an hour later, a girl with long, straight dark-brown hair knocked on the doorframe. She smiled and waved at Ginny.  
"Hey," She said, walking about one step into the room. "I'm Carly."  
"Hi, I'm Ginny. Did you need help unpacking?"  
"Your mother said that you could help me." Carly smiled and tilted her head to the side.  
"Of course." Ginny smiled and got up. "Do you need my help still?" She turned to Spencer quickly.  
"Nope, I'm good." Spencer smiled at Carly and flopped back onto his bed.  
"Great." Ginny got up, dusted off her jeans and followed Carly up to room two.

"So, what do you want help with?" Asked Ginny, re-doing her ponytail.  
"I'm going to need some help with poster hanging, bookshelf arrangements, and generally getting things out of boxes." Carly rattled off.  
"Great," Ginny said, rolling back her shoulders. "Let's get started."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: And Then There Were Three [Awkward Dinners]

Danielle arrived a little late. She was a tall blonde girl with very little luggage, as well as very little to say. She didn't need help unpacking, so Ginny stuck with Carly the rest of the afternoon.  
"So, Carly, where do you work?" Asked Ginny, opening a box.  
"I'm an intern at the Wizarding Wireless Network." Carly replied, attaching a poster to her wall. The Weird Sisters, Witches on Brooms, and Wizards Green rocked out on Carly's walls.  
"Wow, cool. D'you get paid?" Asked Ginny, shelving the books in her box.  
"Yeah, but not very much." Carly laughed, putting up a Wizarding Wireless Network poster, signed by the head DJ.  
"Oh." Ginny said, moving onto the next box.  
"So what do you do?" Asked Carly, tossing a ragged blanket onto the bare mattress.  
"I play quidditch." Ginny replied, sitting down to catch her breath.  
"Cool," Carly said. "What team do you play for?"  
"The Holyhead Harpies." Ginny told her.  
"No way! My little sister loved them!"

Ginny reflected on the boarders as she did a bit of much-needed clearing up in her room. _Carly seems nice, and Danielle is awfully quiet, but probably polite enough. And Spencer?_ Ginny closed her mind to thoughts of that boy. He seemed nice, and he was cute, but Ginny wasn't sure if she wanted to go down that road. She'd liked Harry for ages, and felt like if she waited for him, he'd come around. But then again, it had been TWO YEARS. If Harry still liked her, he would have talked to her about it by now. He seemed perfectly content to build his career and life without her, so she would have to do the same. Ginny sighed. Her tiny room, from her twin bed, to the spindly chair in front of her tiny desk, to the windowsill piled with books, to her small, unpainted bedside table, was draped in dirty laundry. The floor was littered with trash and letters, and her textbooks from school were lying around. "I have to get out of this." Ginny said aloud, miserably shoving a layer of laundry off of her bed and collapsing onto it.  
"Ginny! Come help set up, diner's in half an hour!" Molly called from downstairs. Ginny groaned. She'd momentarily forgotten the "family dinner" her mom was throwing that night.  
"I'll be down in ten minutes!" She yelled from under a pile of shirts. Getting up, she changed into a pair of jeans and a semi-clean pinkish tank-top. Ginny ran a brush through her hair, which she noticed needed a good wash. She pulled it up into a high pony-tail and walked down to help her mum.

Ginny waved her wand and the table set itself. She was about to walk out and check to make sure none of the boarders got the wobbly chair, when she saw people arriving. She was almost to the door when she saw Hermione. She had come with Ron, and they were holding hands. And behind them was Harry.  
"Shit." She disapparated up to her room before her mother, slicing ham, could scold her for cursing. "Harry's here!" She felt like screaming. _In what world is Harry, the guy who dumped me to fight you-know-who, "just family"? _She thought, annoyed, as she threw everything off the top of her tiny desk to find a lipstick. Falling over her office chair, and landing with a _Thump!_ On the floor, she discovered an almost-finished pale pink lipstick. Snapping the cap off urgently, Ginny carefully applied the color to her lips in a tiny hand-mirror. Snapping it shut, she checked her hair and apparated back to the kitchen. She rarely apparated in the house, but Ginny considered this a Code Red.  
**AN: Thanks so much for reviewing, guys! A few quick messages:**  
**ginnygirl87, I hope you like it, it was your review that made me finally finish this! Thanks!**  
**triplt333, I'm glad you enjoy it! I just don't think the future should be all rainbows and adorable kids just yet, y'know?**  
**Sorry I took so long to update, more soon! Please continue to review.**  
**-Rashelleah**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: And Then There Were Three [Awkward Dinners] (Continued)

Ginny took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself. _Okay, breathe, Ginny. Keep on breathing. It's better than the alternative. Now, you're about to go out there and see your siblings, including your older brother who is blissfully happily, practically __engaged_ _to one of your best friends. You also have you deal with Harry, your ex-boyfriend who you're probably still in love with. Just try to avoid eye contact and do your best not to run from the scene. Okay. GO!_  
Grabbing a plate of cheese cubes, Ginny walked out to meet everyone.  
"Hi!" She said, fake smiling to the best of her ability.  
"Hey!" Hermione gave a little wave and smiled at her. Ron's arm was around her shoulders.  
"Hi," George and Angelina had also arrived in her absence. Percy nodded at Ginny.  
"Hello, everyone!" Molly beamed. "Carly, Spencer and Danielle will all be down in a minute, so you can all get comfortable." She waved her wand and a tray with glasses of wine floated down from the house.  
"Where's Bill?" Hermione asked George, taking a glass.  
"He couldn't make it." Responded George as he took a sip of wine. "Victoire's stomach is acting up."  
"Poor thing." Angelina said sympathetically.  
"It's too bad." Agreed Hermione. There was silence. Ginny turned to Hermione.  
"So, how's your boss?" Ginny laughed.

Ginny had accomplished her main goal: Not acting like an idiot. (In front of anyone.) She had been drinking slowly, listening to Angelina talk about her position as chaser, and Captain of The Northward Gnomes.  
" . . .and then Marie crashed right into the door and splintered the thing to bits! So then the coach yelled at her for twenty minutes about how the Harpies have to use the pitch next week, _and_ we have a game coming. I'm so this close to getting a vote on kicking her out!" Angelina rolled her eyes, drinking a gulp of wine.  
"Hey, I'm on the Harpies." Ginny smiled. "So, we share a stadium?"  
"Yup." Angelina replied, tilting her head to the side. "Our practices are scheduled so we all have time to practice, but we don't interfere with each other."  
"Cool." Ginny nodded at Angelina and walked back over to where Harry was awkwardly standing with Ron and Hermione as the two of them joked together the way couples do. Ginny missed that.  
"Hey," Harry gave Ginny a grateful look, like _thanks-for-saving-me-from-being-alone-with-my-two-best-friends-who-are-making-out. _  
"Hi," Ginny twirled a stray red curl around her finger.  
"So," Harry said.  
"So," Ginny said.  
"How are you?"  
"Good, good. And you?" Ginny took a sip of wine and nearly choked.  
"Good." Harry said. "Would you like to sit down?" He asked, just as Carly, Danielle and Spencer came out of the house.  
"Hi," Carly said kindly, smiling at everyone.  
"Hello." Spencer said cheerfully.  
"_He-llo_." Danielle smiled. But it wasn't said the same way as Spencer had said it. Because Danielle wasn't a shy-looking tall girl with her face covered in blond hair anymore. She was wearing a tight, short, low-cut black dress, with a bunch of pink and silver jewelry, and her hair was straight and blonder. No, Danielle hadn't greeted them the same way Spencer had. She'd sounded _sexy_. And she'd had her eyes on Harry as she'd said it.

"Hi," Carly was walking around, shaking hands and meeting people. Danielle didn't bother with everyone else. She walked directly up to Harry and Ginny, wearing black heels. Anyone else would have sunk a few inches into the ground with heels like that, but not her. Her lipstick was bright red, and her strides were long.  
"Hey," She said as she reached Harry and Ginny. She extended a hand, and Harry shook it. "I'm Dani."  
"I'm Harry." He smiled politely. "I think you know Ginny." Ginny smiled.  
"No," Dani said, smiling at Ginny as if at a child. "I don't." Ginny raised one eyebrow. _What is with this girl? _Ginny thought.  
"Harry, can I have a second?" Ginny asked, taking his hand.  
"Sure." Ginny led Harry around to the back of the house and to the foot of her tree.  
"Are you the guy who's been hanging out at the Harpies' quidditch pitch?" She blurted out, somewhat indignantly.  
"What? Ginny," Harry said, looking her straight in the eyes. "Would _I _do _that_?"  
"So it is you?"  
"Yup." Harry laughed. "Sorry about that. It's just that I needed a stress reliever. And quidditch has always been that for me. So, I found a place. I didn't even know it was you until I saw your face. I'm really sorry, I was just kind of shocked when I found out." He scratched his head, making his hair stick up at an odd angle.  
"You didn't know it was me?" Ginny asked, crossing her arms.  
"Nope. I was kind of stupid not to recognize your voice. I guess the wind made it sound weird, at the speed we were going. Still, it was nice. I missed you. Hanging out, I mean." Harry fidgeted a bit, and Ginny looked into his eyes.  
"Ginny, I've been thinking-"  
"Harry-" Ginny began.  
"Ginny-" Harry interrupted her, and then leaned down and kissed her, hugging her close. She wrapped her arms around him. He leaned back against the tree, and they held each other. They closed their eyes.

They shouldn't have, because Danielle was hiding behind the tree, and holding her wand, with murder in her eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Unresolved Matter

_Dani saw the two kissing, leaning against the tree and making out. She felt a deep pain in her heart. She'd only known Harry for a few minutes, and she had thought that her flirting, easy chatting and looks had as good as made him hers. Angrily, she glared at Ginny. How dare that girl take Harry Potter, the catch of a lifetime, right from under her nose! She'd soon learn not to mess with Danielle Vana. Rolling back her shoulders, Dani raised her wand, muttering an incantation, and a blue flash exploded out of her wand-_

Ginny pulled back, confused.  
"What was that?" She asked, looking at Harry. He was standing dangerously close to her, holding her hands. She saw her pink lipstick on his lips, and felt a bit faint. Harry too was clearly confused.  
"I honestly don't know." He admitted, wiping off his mouth and looking at the pinkness on his fingers. "What just happened to us?"  
"I think . . . The last thing I remember is asking you to give me a sec. I just wanted to ask you if it was you who was hanging around the Harpies' quidditch pitch." Ginny said, uncertainly.  
"Yeah, that _was_ me, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mislead you." Harry said.  
"Thanks for telling me." Ginny took a step back and put on some more lipstick. "I'm gonna head back. Everyone will be wondering where we are." Ginny ran down the hill, not caring if Harry saw.

Dani returned to the table a few minutes after Ginny and Harry sat back down. "Sorry, I had to use the little girl's room." She giggled, pushing her blond hair back from her face vainly. Her blue eyes changed color in the dusk. Ginny rolled her eyes. Not only was this girl hitting on Harry, but she also used what amounted to Umbridge-esque language. Danielle had moved from quiet, sweet shy girl to evil, mean slut within minutes.

After a very awkward dinner, during which people mostly discussed jobs, Ginny and Hermione retreated to the back of the house with Hermione. Everyone else was still discussing their careers back at the tables out front.

Few people ever ventured to the back of the house, beyond passing it to go to the broom shed. If they had, they would have seen that Molly had _not_ gotten rid of the old, tiny couch that had sat in the family room for ten long, cramped years. All of the older furniture, the coffee table and the armchair, all of the threadbare things that had been replaced when Arthur had been promoted, had just been moved out to the back. Ginny sat on the slightly damp couch, and Hermione sank into the almost totally deflated armchair.  
"Something _very_ weird just happened to me." Ginny confided, leaning back.  
"Really?" Hermione stifled a yawn.  
"Am I boring you?" Ginny asked, concerned.  
"No, no Ginny, I'm sorry." Hermione apologized. "It's just that I've worked late every day this week, and I'm here tonight. I haven't had a full night's sleep since last Sunday." Hermione wiped her eyes. "I'm just really tired." Ginny nodded sympathetically.  
"I get it, sort of. I've been up at all hours practicing, I'm so freaked out about my first game." Ginny scratched her head. Hermione smiled understandingly.  
The two girls spent the next half an hour talking about their general job mishaps, and so it is no wonder that Ginny totally forgot to mention the weird situation with Harry on the hill.

**AN: And now a few replies to reviews:**

** 563 - Thanks for reviewing, and for the spelling correction. I'm glad you let me know. It really shows people are reading it, you know? Anyway, thanks. Also, thank you for the advice. I'm trying to focus the story on Ginny's life as a young adult, including her romantic relationships, her job, her friends and her family connections. **

**GinnyPotter1700 – You're right, and thanks, but I'm not giving in so easy! I really want them together, but Ginny needs to grow up for a bit, and sans super-famous boyfriend. Please don't kill me? I've got quite a storyline for you guys. Forgive me?**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Please note that I will answer your review if you have questions.**

**Thanks!**

**Rashelleah**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: A Few Pieces of Mail

Waking up the next day, earlier than she had intended, Ginny rolled over and tried to get back to sleep. She gave up when she heard the tap of an owl's claw on her window. Getting up, Ginny opened the window to a sunny Saturday. She let in Gabrielle's owl, a barn owl she had named Lunette. Ginny unrolled the piece of parchment attached to the owl's foot, and Lunette gave her a reproachful nip.  
"Ow!" Ginny sat in her desk chair and pushed her quidditch bag off of her desk.

_Dear Ginny,_  
_Sorry I haven't written. The teachers have been giving us so much work! I can't believe that it's only been a week since school started. I hope you have fun at the wedding next weekend._  
_Love, Gaby_

Ginny groaned. She'd totally forgotten about Lavender's upcoming wedding. In two weeks! Ginny couldn't believe it. She and Lavender had never been close, but Ginny had always been invited places like that. She was just a popular person. _Ugh,_ Ginny thought, a bit tiredly_. I have to find a dress, a date and a new pair of shoes in two weeks!_

A squawk from Lunette snapped Ginny from her thoughts.  
"Right." Ginny muttered. She found a quill and scribbled a quick reply to Gabrielle. Ginny tied the piece of parchment to the owl's leg, and Lunette took off. Then she buried her head in her hands and sat there, in her dirty, dusty, messy room.

A while later, Ginny descended the stairs in her pajamas and sat at the breakfast table. She reached for the paper and helped herself to an egg and some ketchup off of the plate in the center of the table.  
"Hey," Carly said, yawning. "Earth to Ginny, what's it like up there in the clouds?"  
"Morning," Ginny smiled, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Sorry, I just got up." She yawned.  
"I can see that." Carly laughed.  
"We were wondering how long it would take you to notice you weren't alone." Added Spencer, who was working through a pile of letters stacked in front of him. "I've had all of my mail forwarded to this place. It's kind of accumulated." He said, by way of explanation.  
"Some things came for you, too." Carly told her, pointing to a small pile of letters.  
"Thanks." Ginny poured herself a glass of juice and flipped through the small collection of parchment envelopes. "Luna, Michael, Ashley, and . . . Harry." She shrugged, slightly shocked, and sipped her juice.  
"Harry? Aren't you two together?" Asked Carly conversationally.  
"Nope." Ginny ripped open the letter from Luna. "Used to be."

_Dear Ginny,_

_I'm in America! There are so many different magical creatures still undiscovered, especially in the Americas. I'll likely be here for quite a while longer, as there are so many delightful wizards and witches to meet. I did get an invitation to Lavender's wedding in two weeks, so I may return to attend. Although, I do highly suspect that Lavender is just trying to have a wedding with as many guests as she can, and that is the only reason that I'm invited._

_I'll write again soon,_

_Luna _

Ginny smiled at Luna's blatant honesty, a trademark she valued in her friend. She put the letter back into its envelope and put it aside. She opened Michael's letter.

_Ginny-_  
_I heard about your upcoming game! I'll be there to support you._  
_-Michael_

Ginny smiled a bit. Michael, her ex-boyfriend, was cute and sweet, if a bit desperate. He always wrote to her on her birthday. Unlike most broken-up couples, they really were friends. She ripped open the top of Ashley's letter and took out the folded parchment.

_Hey Ginny,_  
_Me & an old friend are going clubbing tonight. You want to come? Meet us at the shop at 8, and bring some friends if you want. It's gonna be good!_  
_-Ash_

Ginny rolled her eyes. Ashley had always been a partier, and she had many old friends. Ginny gazed at the letter from Harry, but then tucked it away under the pile of open mail, to read later.  
"Who were they from?" Spencer asked.  
"Friend, Ex-boyfriend turned friend, and friend." Ginny drank some more juice, daring one of them to ask her what had happened to the fourth. Neither spoke. Ginny unfolded the paper and began to read, hiding her burning face.

Ginny pulled her hair back and left to go to unofficial practice. "Unofficial practice" happened every day, no matter what. It was from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon. Practice that was non-compulsory just got people to train more. Ginny flew around, working hard for her upcoming game. She was sweating like a pig, her hair matted and still somehow long enough to whip her in the face after her recent haircut.

Stepping out of the shower and into the locker room, Ginny came across Penelope drying her hair, and Dalia was outlining her eyes in a dark green color.  
"Hey," Penelope waggled her fingers at Ginny. Her dark, black and blue hair was half dry, and she was wearing only a towel. Dalia was wearing an army-green mini-skirt and a purple sparkly tank top. Her blonde hair was up in a high ponytail, and almost all of her makeup was done, lipstick, mascara, and eyeshadow.  
"What are you up to tonight?" Asked Dalia, pulling on a pair of black heels.  
"I'm going out with my friend Ashley." Ginny started toweling off her hair.  
"Cool, we're just going clubbing." Penelope said, ducking into a bathroom stall to put on her clothes.  
"Do you guys want to come with us? Me and Ash, I mean." Ginny asked, brushing her hair.  
"Sure," Dalia said, smiling.  
"As long as we're not intruding or anything." Added Penelope from the stall, as her voice echoed.  
"No problem, then." Ginny smiled. _Seems like we're going to have some fun._

**AN: Thanks for all of the great reviews! Here are a few replies:**

**ginnygirl87- Thanks! You'll find out soon enough. I have a little something up my sleeve. She did do something to them. Feel free to guess what spell she used, and re-examine the text. I'd love to hear what you guys think.**

** 563- Sorry for the short chapters! I try to make them between 700-1,500 words, but I like to post chapters a few times a week, and I don't have as much time as I would like to write. If you are willing to only get one chapter a week, I can write longer chapters, so please let me know if you would be open to that! Majority rules. Thanks for letting me know, I love hearing from like-minded people. (No offence to those who disagree. It's a matter of opinion.) I'll do my best!**

**Arocksprpl2 and FictionFreak90 - Thank you both for reviewing, and for your advice!**

**FictionFreak90- I'm **_**so**_ **glad you hate Dani! That's my aim. I'm trying to build her up into one of those girls everyone hates and then . . . I almost told you her plot line. Ha! Well, She'll probably be around for a while, so you might as well get used to her.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, love all of you wonderful readers!**

**Rashelleah **


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: A Night Out

Ginny raced up the steps, cursing herself for not entering her room by apparition. Closing her door, she flung open her closet. Pulling out a black skirt and a light purple ruffle top, and her jean jacket, Ginny dressed hurriedly. Ducking into the bathroom, she groaned at the sight of her rather limp hair, her bare face, and her dull eyes_. I really need a night out, _she thought.  
Taking five minutes, Ginny put some mousse in her hair to liven it up. It was one of the Bewitching products George had given her for her eighteenth birthday. Even as she watched, her hair started to magically curl. She tied her hair up, so that the curls fell down to her shoulders, framing her face. Her bangs even curled a bit. Carefully, she applied some brown eyeliner to brighten her eyes, and a bit of gold eye-shadow. Sliding on her black heels, she shoved her wand and keys into her purse, along with her almost-done pink lipstick. After a quick hair flip, Ginny disapparated, instantly apparating outside Quality Quidditch Supplies.  
"Hey!" Ginny saw Dalia and Penelope already outside the shop. "You guys look great!"  
"Thanks," Penelope fiddled with her red jewel necklace, which she wore over a grey dress. "Whom are we waiting for?"  
"Me!" Ashley slammed the door of the shop, and ran toward them. The shop's lights went out, and the door open and shut again. A second person ran after her and the light hit his face. He was cute, vaguely familiar, and smiling.  
"Sorry," He said, brushing his hair out of his eyes with one hand. "Ash, you left the lights on _again_. Hey," The guy said, turning to the rest of the group and smiling.  
"Oh, Ginny, you remember Josh, right? We dated in fifth year," Ashley smiled, pushing her hair back from her face. Ginny remembered Josh, alright. He'd been a bit silly and stupid at Hogwarts, but he was a lot hotter with four years and forty pounds on him.  
"Sure, I remember you." Ginny laughed, "You spilled pumpkin juice all over me at the graduation feast!" Shaking with laughter, Ginny mimed shoving a goblet all over Josh.  
"Yup, that was me! Sorry, again." He grinned, shaking her hand.  
"You're forgiven, but you are buying her a drink tonight!" Ashley joked.  
"Hey, that's okay with me." Ginny winked.  
"We'd better get moving. The clubs start getting rushed pretty soon, and if we want to get anywhere near the bar, we should go." Dalia cut in. Ginny felt a sudden wave of guilt. She asked Penelope and Dalia along, and then totally ignored them for the first few minutes.  
"Oh, I'm so rude. Sorry, guys." Ginny apologized. "This is Ashley, Josh, Penelope and Dalia."  
"Hi," Ashley smiled, nodding at the other girls. "You guys are on the Harpies, too?"  
"Yup," Dalia replied. "I'm the keeper, Pen's a chaser."  
"Wow, you guys are Harpies? Sweet." Josh looked impressed. "What's your position, Ginny?" He asked.  
"I'm chaser, too."  
"But you were a seeker at Hogwarts, weren't you?" Ashley recalled.  
"We already have a seeker, Marie Walker. She's been with us five years." Penelope explained, as the group started to walk towards the outskirts of Diagon Alley.  
"I've never been this far down before." Ginny commented.  
"All of the clubs are down close to Knockturn Alley, since all of the bars are up by the shops. The top part of the area is all wholesome and stuff, like bookshops." Ashley explained.  
"Yeah," Josh said, with a chuckle. "All of the clubs are wannabe dangerous."  
"Funny," Penelope said, interested.

The group walked into the club Ashley pointed out, a club with the word "SPIKE" written on the sign in (hopefully) fake blood.  
"God, vampire themed? That is _sad_, man." Penelope sighed, shaking her head.  
"I _know_!" Ashley wailed, stomping her foot like a little kid. " This place used to be some awesome, and then it came under 'New Management' and it went all trendy and stupid. Now the only reason I come here is the bands. They've always had great ones." She explained.  
"Neat," Dalia said, looking around as they entered the club. "I'm _so_ not into the trendy places, but I love music."  
"Me, too." Josh led them over to the bar. "A shot of fire whiskey." He asked the bartender.  
"Um, lime vodka, please." Ginny smiled, a bit nervously. She was used to drinking quietly with friends, but the club was loud and crowded.  
"Sparkling pumpkin juice, please." Penelope asked. "I don't drink." She explained to the group.  
"I'll have a scotch." Dalia said.  
"I'll take a scotch on the rocks." Ashley finished their order, and they all chipped in to pay for the drinks. The bartender nodded at them, repeated their orders and started fixing their drinks.

Ginny stirred, waking in her unmade bed as the sunlight danced through the curtains and burned her tired eyes. Groaning, Ginny rolled over, accidentally falling out of bed. She'd stayed out past midnight last night, rocking out to the Scarlet Sisters, a cool new band that Dalia had heard of and of which all of them were now fans. Ginny had a splitting headache, since she'd never drunk more before in her life. After all, she'd only been of age for a year, most of which she had spent at Hogwarts.

Remembering that it was Sunday, Ginny had a small panic attack. Her first game was on Wednesday, literally three days away. Hurriedly dressing and eating, Ginny apparated to the Hollyhead Harpies stadium, where she spent almost the entire day training.  
What she didn't see before she left was Danielle, entering her room and stealing something off of Ginny's desk, something she would barely miss later. Disapparating with a _crack_, Danielle vanished from the room, as if she had never been there.

Covered in sweat and starving, Ginny showered at three o'clock that afternoon, having barely stopped for breath since she had arrived.  
"Hey, Slow down." Penelope walked out of the shower after Ginny, wrapping herself in a towel. "I know you're nervous about your first game, but honestly? You're scaring me." Ginny sat down on a bench by the lockers, and inhaled. Penelope opened her locker and sat down in front of it, glancing at Ginny.  
"I'm sorry, but I'm just feeling really confused right now." Ginny tried to smile. "I need some time."  
"You need to take a break. Don't come in tomorrow, Ginny. You can train again on Tuesday, but take a day off, okay?" Penelope started to get dressed.  
"I can't, I would drive myself nuts." Ginny shook her head, putting on a shirt.  
"Ginny, don't run yourself into the ground." Penelope told her, shutting her locker and packing up her things. "Take a mental health day."

After Ginny was dressed and clean, she apparated home. Going up to her room, she saw that Carly was in, Spencer was out, and Danielle was hiding in her room. Ginny could tell, because the light went out in the room just as Ginny was walking up the steps. _That bitch is up to something,_ Ginny thought, bitterly. She walked into her room and fell onto the bed, closing her eyes and letting herself sleep peacefully.

**AN: Hey, guys, sorry about no updates recently. I hope that I can make it up to you! **

**sassypotter- This story is canon, so they WILL get together, I promise! As I've said, Ginny is eighteen. She needs time to grow up.**  
**Ginnygirl87- All will be revealed soon! I promise to try and get one chapter a week for you guys.**  
** 563- I appreciate ALL reviews, no worries! I won't let Dani break them apart completely.**

**Thank you guys all so much for all of the wonderful reviews, because they really are inspiring, and you guys are all amazing. **

**Rashelleah**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Match and the Fire

Ginny was doing her best not to be completely insanely nervous about her upcoming premier game on the Harpies. One the bright side, she was _not_ front page news. The day of the match, she opened the Daily Prophet to see a small column in the Quidditch section about her, right next to the giant piece on the drinking habits of Viktor Krum. Ginny rolled her eyes. _He retired a year ago. What is so interesting about what kind of firewhiskey he drinks? _Her mention only read:

The Newest Hollyhead Harpie

Ginny Weasley, an eighteen year-old Hogwarts graduate, is joining the Harpies for her first game on Wednesday. Weasley is mostly known as the ex-girlfriend of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Like many of her peers, Weasley is fresh out of school at eighteen, since the education received during what has been called "The Lost Year" by many was considered not adequate to be counted as a year of schooling.

Ginny rolled her eyes, skimming the remainder of the text. _The Prophet _was more reliable since an investigation into Ministry ties to the press had turned up a lot of dirt, and gotten a lot of people fired. Unfortunately, the writers of The Prophet had yet to lose the irritating habit of turning relatively minor news magically into articles, purely based on gossip. Molly was busy doing laundry, Arthur was fixing a small leak in Gabrielle's roof, and none of the boarders had woken yet. It was just barely seven AM, but Ginny hadn't been able to get one more wink of sleep past six. Her big game was at ten, and she was already beginning to panic. She was supposed to be at the quidditch pitch at nine, so that the team would have time to warm up before the game started. Basically the entirety of her extended family, and her friends, aside from Ron, and Bill, who had to work, would be there.

Ginny entered the locker room at eight fifteen, a quarter of an hour early. She changed into her new quidditch robes, trying to ward off her nerves. She admired the six letters of her last name on the back of her new green and gold robes. The golden letters on the forest green robes W-E-A-S-L-Y. Ginny frowned.  
"Hey!" Dalia walked in, carrying her bag over one shoulder and a water bottle in the Harpies team colors. "How are you doing?" She dropped her stuff on a bench, and turned to Ginny, tying up her hair and pulling on her robes over her head.  
"Not great." Ginny's mouth felt drier than seems humanly possible.  
"What?" Dalia glanced over her shoulder at Ginny.  
"They spelled my name wrong." Ginny heard herself say. Her voice did not sound like her own anymore.  
"Oh, that sucks." Dalia said sympathetically. She pulled on her keeper's gloves, tossing her other clothes into her locker. _Not a good sign,_ Molly's voice said in Ginny's head. _This is a bad omen, Ginevra. _Ginny threw her things into her own locker, slamming the door shut to quiet her mother's voice in her head.  
"Why the slamming?" Coach Jones was quite fond of brevity, it was the iron fist she used to command her team.  
"Sorry, Coach. It's just that Ginny's robes are wrong." Dalia explained, putting one gloved hand on Ginny's shoulder.  
"My apologies, Ms. Weasley." Gwenog leaned her scrawny neck over Ginny's shoulder. The coach tapped the robes with her wand, and the golden letters rearranged themselves, shrinking slightly to make space for an 'E' between the 'L' and 'Y'.  
"All fixed." Dalia flashed a smile and squeezed Ginny's shoulder. Coach Jones clucked approvingly and went back to her office. Ginny nodded, and pulled on her robes, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths.

The other members of the team filed in slowly, filling the benches and the air with the sounds of lockers closing and opening, chatter of self-assured young women with nothing to fear. _It's just a game. Not even a big game, either. Just a game, simple, quick, relatively easy. It's not even my responsibility to win, I'm a chaser. I just have to get the quaffle, and stop thinking. _Ginny closed her eyes, breathed in and out, and sat down as the team gathered.

"Hello-o! And welcome to the first match of the season in this stadium!" A loud male voice boomed through the air as spectators began to fill the seats. "I'm Eddie Portel, and I'll be commentating on this match with my lovely colleague, Maria Fletcher. How're you doing, Maria?"  
"I'm doing just fine, Eddie."  
"Me, too. Now, down to business! Today, we'll be seeing a match between the Holyhead Harpies and the Ballycastle Bats!"  
"Eddie, is it true that the new lineup of the Bats is considered, to quote the _Daily Prophet, _'The best it's been in twelve years?'"  
"I couldn't say, Maria, but the Bat's spokeswoman, Melinda Donahay, insists that their star player, Elis Malley, will not be on the pitch today."  
"Really, Eddie? Did she mention the drinking scandal that has been widely reported on, but still goes unconfirmed?"  
"No, Maria, she did not, however . . ." Ginny tuned out after the commentators dissolved into debate about some gossipy thing or another. She only began to listen again when she heard the name of her team. She joined the team in pre-game stretches, and listened.  
"Now, Maria, the Holyhead Harpies are all women, but that's where the similarities stop. The keeper, Dalia Donson, is less stocky than most keepers. Many teams just shove a giant beefy guy in front of the goals and call it a day."  
"That's right, Eddie. The Harpies are a fascinating team. They are a smaller team than most, they share this pitch with the Northward Gnomes. They have fabulous chasers, notably Penelope Jakes and Sarah Morgan, as well as the so-far untested talents of Ginny Weasley."  
"A Weasley, eh? Isn't she that girl who used to date notable Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter?"  
"Yes, Eddie, and apparently Quidditch is in her blood, as one of her older brothers is Charlie Weasley, and every male member of her family has played for Hogwarts for the past six generations."  
"Wow," Whispered Penelope, giving Ginny's wrist a quick squeeze. "Listen to that! You got almost thirty seconds!" Ginny smiled.  
"Well, Maria, Coach Jones of the Harpies has exited the locker rooms, it appears the game is about to begin!"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Match and the Fire (Part 2)

Ginny kicked off of the ground, soaring into the air the second the whistle was blown.  
"Bats start off in possession, chaser Hollis Carter in possession, passes to Gary Angels, Angels fumbles, the quaffle is caught by Jakes-" Ginny tuned out the rapid game commentary and forced her mind to focus. She caught the quaffle as Penelope threw it to her and passed it with quick succession to Sarah, the other chaser. Sarah was ten feet from the Bat's goal posts, and she sped two feet forward and powerfully tossed the red ball through the left hoop without the keeper even knowing.  
"First goal to the Harpies, only a minute and a half into the game, scored by Morgan. Bats have the quaffle-"  
Ginny ducked instinctively as a bludger came within an inch of her head.  
"Sorry, Ginny!" Erica McKinley raised her bat and hit the bludger toward the Bat's chaser with the ball, and the girl dropped it, spinning down a few feet before righting herself, but Sarah already had stolen the quaffle. Ginny made eye-contact with Sarah, who threw the ball her way. Ginny dodged the Bats chasers and-  
"Weasley gets the quaffle into the center hoop, right under the arm of keeper Roger Paul! Already twenty points ahead of the Bats, the Harpies are doing well. Bats' Angels is in possession-"

The game was short. Ginny scored another goal and Penelope scored, and then Marie, the chaser caught the snitch, and the game was over. The commentators wound down as the Bats trudged off of the field and the Harpies cheered and hugged. Ginny was so happy, she felt as though she'd cry. Ginny hugged Marie, and Penny, and Dalia and the others, and then she met her family at the bottom of the stands.  
"Hey!" Hermione, pink-cheeked and wearing a green and gold scarf against the September chill hugged Ginny and grinned at her. "You were great!"  
"Thanks." Ginny smiled back. She was congratulated by the rest of the family, and then glanced around. Catching Ginny's eye, Hermione said, quietly.  
"Harry and Ron couldn't make it. Work."  
"Oh." Ginny bit her lip, trying to smile. "Right. That's okay."  
"Hey you!" Ashley ran down from a higher place in the stands. "All of that practicing had really been paying off, Ginny. You looked amazing out there." Ashley told her, giving her a quick hug.  
"Thanks, Ash." Ginny turned to Hermione. "You remember Ashley, from Hogwarts?" Hermione's smile faltered slightly, but Ginny didn't notice.  
"Hi, long time no see." Hermione said, shaking Ashley's hand and looking her up and down.  
"You look amazing!" Ashley said, releasing Hermione's hand and giving her a winning smile.  
"So do you!" Hermione replied.  
"Listen, I've gotta go change." Ginny indicated her quidditch robes.  
"Okay, Molly asked me to stay for lunch, so I'll see you back at the burrow." Hermione said, quickly turning back to the Weasleys present.  
"Ginny, we should go get manicures later, okay?" Ashley said, holding up her hand, and inspecting her overgrown nails.  
"Sure. Send me an owl when you're free." Ginny agreed, waving to her family and jogging back to the locker rooms.  
"Heyyy!" Everyone said as she came in. The entire team was sitting in the locker room in various states of undress, and each had a glass full of something.  
"Our newest member!" Dalia slung an arm over Ginny's shoulder, smelling like firewhiskey.  
"What's going on?" Asked Ginny, smiling nervously.  
"A little celebration." Penelope toasted Ginny with a butterbeer. "Welcome to the squad."  
"To Ginny!" Dalia intoned loudly.  
"Ginny!" The five other players and four reserves repeated, lifting their glasses and bottles.

Ginny arrived at home half an hour later, having only drunk a butterbeer, since she knew being tipsy at a meal prepared by her mother could only end in disaster. When Molly started to serve after-lunch coffee, Ginny and Hermione retired to the living room to talk.  
"Ginny, I didn't know you were in contact with Ashley." Hermione said carefully, sitting on one end of the couch.  
"Oh, didn't I mention it?" Ginny asked, glancing at the staircase across the room and listening for possible eavesdroppers.  
"No, no you didn't." Hermione pursed her lips.  
"Is something wrong?" Ginny asked her, finally giving Hermione her full attention.  
"No, it's nothing." Hermione replied quietly.  
"Sure?"  
"Sure."

Later, Ginny had just got out of the shower when she heard someone in her room. She snuck in quietly, and pushed open the door, but no one was there. Yawning, she shut the door and began to get ready for bed. It had been a long day.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Where There's Smoke

Ginny woke at dawn. It was a beautiful Thursday morning, and Ginny had the day off from work. She had gotten into the habit of getting up early, and she decided to clean her desk in order to take full advantage of her early rising. She quickly made her bed, then put everything on the surface of her tiny desk onto her bed. Ginny sorted her things out, making a few different piles of stuff. Letters, parchment, books, photographs, and a few old _Daily Prophet_s. The _Prophet_s she put in the trash, the books she stacked on the floor next to her bookshelf for later, the photographs she put into the drawer in her bedside table, and she sat at her desk to take a better look at the letters.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Things are as busy as ever here at Hogwarts. Hagrid finally convinced Professor Sprout that he can handle her plants while she goes away for a week to a meeting of leading Herbology experts. Personally, I give the Venomous Tentactula a week before it kills every other plant in the greenhouse. _

_Love, Gaby _

Ginny smiled. She wondered if she should be worried for Hagrid's well-being once Professor Sprout got back to find her plants in dire straights, but dismissed it. Someone would give Hagrid a hand. She picked up the next envelope, and her heart sank. The envelope was pearly-white, and her name was written on it in golden ink.

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of _

_Lavender Brown _

_John Fletcher_

_September 31, 10:00 _

_Ceremony at the Fletcher home, reception to follow._

Ginny groaned. She'd RSVP'd a few weeks ago, and now she actually had to go. Ginny hadn't liked weddings much since Bill and Fleur's had ended so disastrously. All of the other letters were old, mostly accounts of crazy adventures from Luna or notes from Hermione. Ginny thought she had other letters, but she dismissed the thought. Yawning, Ginny quickly penned a note to Ashley suggesting a dress-shopping expedition. She needed something new for the wedding. Leaving it on her desk to be sent later, Ginny walked down the stairs quietly, and got to the kitchen without waking anyone. She made some coffee, and then some french toast for breakfast. When Pigwidgeon arrived with the mail and the _Prophet, _Ginny quickly turned to the sports page to see if there was any coverage of yesterday's game, and she gasped, almost spilling her coffee. The headline of the sports section read:

Ballycastle Bats Bag Bribes 

by Gettoph Mai Broom

The celebrated Ballycastle Bats start off what looked to be a promising season with a promise of galleons. The Bats played the Harpies yesterday at the Harpies' stadium, and they beat the Bats one hundred and eighty points to zero. "I knew that there was something wrong." Confessed the Bats' coach, Terry Melman. "I never imagined that my players would accept money to throw a game. To me, that was not even a possibility." The scandal was uncovered when an anonymous tip was sent to quidditch officials. The team's spokesperson said that a statement will be released regarding the ongoing investigation of the team. Coach Gwenog Jones of the Hollyhead Harpies declined to comment. (Cont. on page 9A)

Ginny gasped. She hurriedly turned to the next page and read the remainder of the article. She couldn't believe it. Her first match had been fixed.

"So what did the coach say?" Asked Ashley as she gently lifted a blue silk gown off of a hanger.  
"Not much. She was really surprised." Ginny said, slipping out of a pink frilly thing that she regretted even looking twice at. It looked ridiculous with her hair.  
"Well, at least she has a lot of confidence in you guys, then." Ashley pointed out, holding the pale blue silk against her thin frame. "She thought you'd actually beat the Bats without them even managing to score."  
"Yeah, I guess." Ginny shrugged, pulling her robes back on over her head.  
The two girls were in a wizarding dress shop that was opened to cater to the needs of the wizard who wanted to look like a muggle. Lavender was having a wedding in wizarding style, but with muggle dress. This struck Ginny as a bit odd, but she thought she shouldn't judge, considering the oddness in her family.  
"So, what kind of wedding is this?" Asked Ashley, returning the blue dress to the rack.  
"Knowing Lavender, probably the wedding of the century. She's invited everyone she's ever made eye-contact with." Ginny said, as she emerged from behind the curtain where she'd been trying things on.  
"I'm glad I'm not invited," Ashley laughed. "I might run into my ex-boyfriends. All of them!" Ashley paused for a second. "Wait, isn't _your _ex going?"  
"Well of course!" Ginny laughed. "If Lavender can have _Harry Potter _at her wedding, then she will! It's in vogue now, to have the savior of all wizard-kind in attendance at special occasions. You would not believe how many bar-mitzvah invitations he's been getting!" Ashley didn't laugh.  
"That's the one." She said simply. Ginny looked down at her hands. She'd absent mindedly pulled the perfect dress from the rack. It was dark blue velvet with a bodice embroidered with pearls. It had cap sleeves and a full skirt, and the fabric just reached her knees.  
"It is." Ginny smiled. She pulled the curtain, slipped off her robes, and slid the dress on. It fit perfectly, it was like nothing Ginny had ever owned. She was the seventh child, and while, being the only girl, she'd got a lot of her things second-hand rather than handed down, she'd never had many fine things. That hadn't changed much in the past two years, since her parents had been in debt from all of the years when they had next to nothing, and couldn't pay it all off, even with her dad's promotion.  
"How much is it?" Asked Ashley as Ginny stepped out, admiring the way the dress fit her. Ginny fumbled for the tag, the little paper on a string under her arm. Glancing down at the piece of parchment, Ginny bit her lip.  
"Nine galleons and seven sickles." She whispered.  
"How much do you have?" Inquired Ashley in a whisper.  
"About forty galleons." Ginny said nervously. "But it's almost all of my wages from last week."  
"If you want it, you should get it." Ashley told her. "You won't wear this dress just once."  
Ginny thought for a moment. It was true, she would probably wear the dress a great deal, and she _would _get paid every week, and she didn't really have to worry about saving yet anyway, since she was still at her mum's for the time being.  
"I'm getting it." She said resolutely.

* * *

**AN: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Also, thanks to lauren563 for all of the constructive reviews. I appreciate your honesty!**

**Rashelleah95 **


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Wedding

Ginny slipped into the dress again, this time enjoying the fact that it was hers. She was in her bedroom, getting dressed for the wedding. Ginny was glad this whole business would be over soon. She was tired of it, tired of the pointed looks her mother gave her whenever it came up. Naturally enough, Ginny was the only one her mother had to worry about at the time. Bill was married, Charlie was married, George was with Angelina, and Ron was with Hermione. _The again, _though Ginny as she walked to the bathroom to quickly put on some makeup, _Percy is single. Mum is probably giving him just as bad a time about it._ She applied a bit of eyeliner, mascara and a dash of lipstick. She put some of the magic curler into her hair, and then pulled her hair into a half up half down 'do with a clip. She pulled on her black heels and grabbed her purse, tossing her lipstick, wand and house-key inside.  
"Hey," Carly said, running into her on the stairs. "Where are you going so fancy?"  
"I've got a wedding to go to." Ginny told her.  
"The Fletcher-Brown wedding?" Asked Carly, shocked.  
"Yeah, why?" Said Ginny, still walking down the stairs.  
"I'm doing the music for the party." Said Carly, following her. "They wanted one of the DJs from WWN, but I'm much cheaper." Ginny looked Carly up and down, noting the other girl's blue Wizard Wireless Network uniform robes. "I'm only doing the music for the party." Carly added.  
"Nice." Ginny replied. " Listen, the service is at ten, I've gotta get going. I'll see you at the party."  
"Okay," Carly gave Ginny a little wave as they went their separate ways. "If you or any of your friends have a request, don't forget me!"

Ginny apparated to the Fletcher home, a nice victorian house. It was a large house, very old, and quite grand. Ginny was used to both the large, but slightly shabby grandure of Hogwarts, and the _very_ shabby, second-hand comfort of her own home. This place was large, but not in an uncomfortable way. From the outside, with its well-tended roses and groomed lawn, the house looked rather like an inn, cosy but neat. Ginny had apparated to a point a block away, as the home was in a muggle residential area, and the Fletcher family had not wanted to draw a lot of undue attention to the massive crowd of wizards that would soon descend on the area. Ginny walked up the front path, and was about to ring the doorbell when she saw a little path leading the the back garden, with streamers lining the fence separating the Fletcher's yard from their neighbor's. Walking carefully down the path, she heard some quiet chatter and fixed a pleasant smile on her face. If she was going to be unfashionably early, she could at least look nice.  
"Hi, welcome!" A young woman with auburn hair and a big smile turned to welcome Ginny. She was wearing a lavender colored silky dress with fluttery sleeves and a brown sash at the waist. The girl had full lips and wavy auburn hair that just fell to her dress' low neckline.  
"You look familiar." The girl said, turning her head in confusion, but still smiling. "I'm so sorry, it's just been a long morning-"  
"You're Maria Fletcher." Ginny realized, remembering the sweet and smooth voice of the quidditch commentator. "You must be related to the groom."  
"I'm his sister." Maria told Ginny, nodding. "How did you know?"  
"I'm Ginny Weasley, I'm on the Hollyhead Harpies quidditch team." She explained, as recognition dawned on Maria's face.  
"That explains it!" The other girl nodded again. "What a game. Too bad, really. That it was your first one, I mean."  
"Right." Ginny said, thinking back to the other team, the Ballycastle Bats, who had taken a bribe to lose the game. "Well, congratulations."  
"Thank you!" Maria's smile grew wider. "Lavender is just lovely. We're delighted to welcome her to the family. I assume you're a friend of hers?"  
"Oh, yes." Ginny nodded. "Lavender has a lot of friends." _At least, she invited a lot of people. _Ginny thought. She glanced around the enormous back-yard, which was set up for an outdoor ceremony. Over by a rose bower, a witch with a pointy purple hat was going through a thick leather-bound book and muttering to herself. Ginny noted an older, auburn-haired lady in a yellow dress, who, unfortunately, resembled her son rather more than her daughter. Ginny remembered John Fletcher from their brief meeting in Diagon Alley. She saw him talking with another young man closer to the house. John was tall, six foot four at least, with short blond hair and a face that looked incredibly serious, but kind enough. He was wearing a suit that looked like it was uncomfortable, but that could just have been nerves.  
"It looks nice, doesn't it?" Maria gestured around the large backyard. The grassy area was almost totally empty of people, but there were rows and rows of chairs, as well as lovely flower decorations everywhere.  
"It's beautiful." Ginny said truthfully. She looked a little more closely at Maria's dress. "Are you a bride's maid?" She asked.  
"Yes." Maria replied. "Me, Lavender's friend Parvati, and Lavender's cousin, Lee."  
"That's nice." Ginny replied, being without anything else to say. She was saved by the arrival of the next guest, the first in a flood of people. Maria was quickly too busy greeting people to continue to chit-chat with Ginny, who tried to quietly fade into the shadows, which was not an easy task on such an uncommonly lovely, sunny day.  
"-Luna Lovegood, pleasure." A breezy, dreamy voice said, catching Ginny's attention.  
"Luna?" Ginny waved to her friend. Luna waved back, and walked over the the place where Ginny was standing.  
"Ginny!" The girls hugged. Luna wore a yellow sleeveless dress that fell to her knees, and her sun-bleached hair fell down her back. Luna wore very little makeup, only a trace of gold eyeshadow and a bit of bright red lipstick.  
"You look amazing!" Ginny told Luna.  
"You look great, too." Luna replied. Ginny knew that she meant it, because Luna didn't believe in the little white lies that kept civilization afloat. If Luna said something, she meant it.  
"When did you get in from America?" Ginny asked.  
"Yesterday! I would have come to see you, but I was so tired, I slept practically all day!" Luna laughed.  
"The time difference." Ginny said sympathetically.  
"Yes. Say, do you smell that?" Luna asked, sniffing the air slightly. Ginny frowned, inhaling sharply. She _did _detect a faint scent of cherry pie, mixed with the smell of rain, broom polish and an aftershave she thought she recognized . . .

Ginny shook herself out of a brief stupor to realize that the smell was coming from behind a screen door near the place where she and Luna were standing. They were the only guests standing so close to the house, no one else had noticed the odd, but enticing aroma. Ginny  
glanced at the glass door and caught a flash of blonde hair and a short, bright red dress.

And that's when Ginny realized where she knew the smell from. An old dungeon full of cauldrons with a jolly older man teaching herself and her classmates about the most dangerous potion she had ever learned about . . .

Amortentia.

**AN: Thanks so much for your reviews and for reading! Also, your constructive criticism is appreciated. **

**Rashelleah**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Wedding (Part 2)

"Luna, why don't you go say hi to Harry and Hermione? I think I see them over there." Ginny said, as calmly as she could manage.  
"Oh, I haven't seen them in at least a year! I'll see you later, Ginny." Luna breezed off again and Ginny stepped back until she had her back against the glass door. Without drawing attention to herself, Ginny pushed the door open (thanking her lucky stars that it wasn't locked) and stepped back into the house. She followed her nose, and the amortentia fumes led her to a closed door. She lowered her hand to the doorknob, and turned it as slowly as she could. Her eyes widened in shock.

Danielle had her back to Ginny, but Ginny could tell it was her. Unlike any normal person, Danielle's hair remained perfectly straight while she stirred the boiling cauldron. The dress she was wearing was bright red, and it barely covered what it was meant to. The fumes floated towards Ginny, and she resisted the urge to deeply inhale the potent potion.  
"I see you!" Sang Danielle, shaking her ass just a little. Too late, Ginny made eye-contact with herself in the mirror. _Shit. _She thought. "I know, you're really not good at this spying thing, are you?" Ginny opened her mouth to make an excuse, but she froze. Danielle laughed. "Gotta love a non-verbal spell, am I right?" She waggled her wand in her left hand, half-smiling and giggling to herself. Jabbing her wand at the spoon, it began to stir in the cauldron of its own accord. "If you could talk, I bet that you'd be _sooo _judgemental. You always were."  
_What? _Thought Ginny as Danielle pointed her wand at Ginny and levitated her into the room, shutting the door with another wave of her wand. "Anyway, the potion is almost finished, and then, well . . ." Danielle gave the cauldron another stir. " . . . the rest of my life begins."

"Harry Potter! God, how did you let him get away from you? I mean, _how _did you let the Boy Who Lived, rich, famous, and handsome, just slip through your fingers?" Danielle asked, inspecting her face in the mirror. "I really want to know! You could have had him. By itself, that's unbelievable, but then you just give up?" She shook her head, disbelieving. "Well, at least now you'll get your man."

"Of course, my plan was perfect." Danielle was poking her nose in the mirror. She grimaced, and her skin lightened and became freckled. Her nose shrank, and her eyes changed shape. "I've almost got it." She promised, closing her eyes and making another odd facial expression. Danielle's hair turned bright red, the color of ketchup. "Nope, the hair is the hardest part." She pouted. "Trust me, I've got this." Danielle pursed her lips, closed her eyes, and exhaled. In a rush, her hair swished around her face and turned a shade that Ginny recognized. It was the color of her own hair.  
"I really can't believe none of you guys recognized me." Giggled Danielle, who now bore no resemblance to herself. "Still, it must have been pretty hard too, I guess. I didn't even know what I could do until the war was over. Kind of . . . after-shock, you might say." Danielle raised her eyebrows and turned to Ginny, who was still frozen. "Well, it's not perfect." Danielle shrugged, shaking her red hair over one shoulder. "But it's close." Danielle pointed to Ginny's dress with her wand, and instantly Ginny's perfect dress was practically falling off of Danielle's slimmer frame. "Oh, I completely forgot about the body." Danielle rolled her eyes. "_So _typical of me!" She squeezed her eyes shut and suddenly her slim body was curvier, and more toned, with the muscles of a quidditch player. Ginny felt Danielle's red dress squeezing the oxygen out of her, it was entirely too tight. For a second, her vision went red. And then Ginny passed out.

Ginny blinked, forcing her eyelids open as she came to. She felt like her limbs were made of lead, and her face was numb.  
She was in a little room with flowery wallpaper, lying on a small, very uncomfortable and clearly under-used sofa. It was the only piece of furniture in the room, aside from a small stool that sat before a wall-length mirror. Ginny's slow, tired mind deduced that it was a powder room, a place for women to touch up their makeup and gossip, or to collect themselves after some large emotional upheaval. Ginny thought the room seemed pleasant enough, if a bit stuffy, until she realized what had happened to her. _Danielle is a metamorphmagus! _She realized, seeing in her mind the way the other girl had changed her form, her face, her hair color. _But how could that be? And why did she act like I'm supposed to know her? _Suddenly, a movement caught Ginny's eye. A girl with long red hair in a blue dress flung open the door and smirked at Ginny, immobile on the sofa.  
"Welcome back." She smiled, turning and speaking to the mirror rather than to Ginny's face. Danielle opened up a purse that Ginny recognized as her own, and retrieved a lipstick. She made a face. "With your coloring, it's _so _hard to wear less boring colors without looking washed out." Danielle said irritably, as she slowly spread pale pink lipstick over her lips. As if that was Ginny's fault.  
"I'm so sorry it's not doing it for you." Ginny retorted, slightly surprised she could speak.  
"Oh, I guess the paralysis is wearing off." Danielle said, still inspecting Ginny's face in the mirror. "I cast a jinx to paralyze you. It only works for half an hour, but it's been nearly twenty minutes. You missed most of the ceremony, it was lovely." Ginny blinked. She had almost forgotten about the wedding that was going on at that very moment. "You'll be just in time to enjoy the grand finale!" Danielle grinned evilly. Ginny shuddered, thinking, _Mental note, NEVER grin like that. That look on my face is just disturbing._  
"What would that be, Danielle, if that is your real name?" Ginny asked, rather accusingly.  
"Well, since you're not going anywhere, I guess telling you wouldn't hurt." Danielle tilted her head to one side, and smiled again. "You had the chance of a lifetime, Betty, and you blew it. I mean, Margaret, marrying Harry Potter would be enough to win you fame, and he had _quite _the fortune. Sally, he still loves you, and you're too stupid to make a move. So, I'm doing it for you. Accept, well, I get to keep him. With a little deception, and a little help." Danielle pulled a little glass bottle out of Ginny's purse, smiling slyly.  
"You're stealing my identity?" Ginny gasped.  
"Really? It took you long enough to get it. Didn't you notice the missing letters? What about when your diaries were gone? I had to do my research. And, of course, sabotage _your _relationship with Harry along the way."  
"What? You-"  
"You two kissed, Diana, so I cast a memory charm. I stole letters he sent you from your desk." Danielle smiled cruelly. "You two do a remarkable job of being in love without being together." She observed.  
"Why do you keep calling me-"  
"-Names that aren't yours? Well, I can't very well have you running around telling everyone that I'm an imposter, so after I take care of Harry, I'll come back for you." She wiggled her wand between her fingers. "I'm going to have a new kitty-cat!"  
"Why are you doing this?" Ginny grinded her teeth, trying to get more of sensation in her face.  
"Because," Danielle said, turning her back on Ginny, who was still struggling to move. "Third time's the charm, right?" Danielle slipped through the barely open door, and left Ginny alone.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Wedding (Part 3)

Ginny gritted her teeth, trying to get some sensation in her mouth and her face at large. _I'm stuck. _She realized, making a groaning sound at the back of her throat.  
"_When yer stuck in a spell, what's your best friend, Weasley?" _  
"_I don't know, professor." She hung her head._  
"_The Fatisco counterspell is extremely difficult. As you are only third years, I will not be teaching you the Unforgivable Curses. Instead- Creevy, put away that camera- we will be learning magical theory, just this once. The Fatisco counterspell is very advanced, and I don't expect any of you to be able to even attempt it. But, you need to learn to protect yourselves, and to escape when you can't." _  
"Fat lot of help, professor." Ginny growled, contorting her mouth into a half-open, still numbed shape.  
"_Escape is completely possible, if you're angry enough and have enough power in you. Wandless magic is not unheard of. Not your underage accident, a controlled, powerful force inside of you. No jokes, ladies and gentlemen. You just have to learn to focus." _  
"Really, professor? Focus can help me? Where did it get you?" Ginny gritted her teeth, managing to make a fist. A fist. A fat lot of help that would be against Danielle, with no wand, in a body that looked like Ginny's. No way out. Ginny was angry. So angry.  
_Seven years of magical education, enough family members to choke on, and endless lectures about safety, and this is where it ends. I'm going to be Dani's kitty-cat for the rest of my life, maybe another sixty years. That is so stupid! _She was boiling, her face was hot as the surface of the sun. The blood rushed to her ears, her skin was on fire. Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a scream of uncontained, rebellious, horse, complete **rage**.  
The scream echoed, bouncing off of the walls of the tiny room and there was a _crack. _  
Ginny blinked, inhaling slowly. She abruptly sat up. Ginny looked in the mirror, and her hair was frizzy, her eyes were bloodshot, and she was bursting out of Danielle's dress, but that wasn't the most shocking about her appearance. A long, inch-thick crack ran through her reflection in the mirror, slicing her in half across her waist.  
"Thank you, fake Professor Moody." Ginny whispered.

Ginny didn't stop to fuss with her looks in the broken mirror. She burst out of the powder room, entering the party without stopping to breathe. The wedding party was in full swing around her, no one seemed to notice Ginny, standing there in a dress that was still squeezing the life out of her, looking disheveled and wild. Ginny swung around in violent circles, her inner chaos going unnoticed in the crowded dancing hall. Her skin had cooled slightly, but she could feel her temperature building again, like a mercury thermostat slowly rising until it shattered. Fire rolled through her head, causing a wave of heat to overcome her for a moment. Ginny shut her eyes tight, and felt prickling on the back of her neck. She turned, and she saw Danielle, red-headed and looking like she could be no one but Ginny, laughing at something Harry said, smiling. Harry's back was to Ginny, he and Danielle were at the other end of the ballroom. Ginny was nearly overcome by the warmth, her skin was on fire, she was burning. She could barely stand. She saw Danielle and Harry go get punch, and from her vantage point, she couldn't see Danielle do it. But she knew that it was done. The satisfied look on her own face was enough to tell her. Ginny yelled, the music drowned her out, no one could hear her, she couldn't reach them in time. She waded through the crowd, and, ten feet away, the thermostat overheated and burst.

Ginny fell to her knees, feeling every cell in her body on fire, dissolving as she let out another scream. Fire curled off of her ill-fitting clothes, her skin glowed. Her anger was coursing through her veins, she felt the power roar. Through half-open eyelids, Ginny saw a golden vapor clear the crowd between herself and Danielle and Harry. Danielle froze, and looked into Ginny's eyes. In a second, the tongues of golden fire wrapped around Danielle. Her appearance reverted first to the blonde girl Ginny knew, then changed a few more times, before settling on an olive skinned girl with long, dark hair, who fell to the floor, sobbing.  
"Romilda Vane!" Luna said, pushing to the front of the crowd, confused.  
"Danielle Vana." Ginny heard herself say, as she rose to her feet. "One and the same."  
"But how?" Asked Harry, baffled, staring at the girl at his feet.  
"Torture." Said Hermione, faintly. She had been dancing with Ron just feet away, her cheeks were still flushed. "Her family was reported missing, and there were several Hogwarts students who were tortured into insanity after being kidnapped."  
"But we would have known if she was a metamorphmagus!" Exclaimed Ron, looking equally as flummoxed.  
"Torture has been known to activate certain latent powers. Certainly, it's rare, but it happens." Luna said, kneeling beside Romilda, putting a hand to the girl's forehead.  
"They killed her family." Ginny said, somehow knowing it was true. "And they made her watch."  
There was silence. Ginny took stock of herself. She was still uncomfortable in Danielle's dress, but she wasn't burning with the angry power anymore, she could feel it fading fast. But she knew what she had to do. She turned her face toward the ceiling and called, "Mum! Dad! Bill! Percy! George!"  
Seconds later, said family members materialized, apparating directly into the circle cleared by Ginny's scream.  
"I just heard your voice, calling for me." Molly said, a bit puzzled. The others looked equally as confused, until Ron stepped forward.  
"We needed seven." He said, taking his space between George and Ginny in the circle. "Join hands."  
Molly held Arthur's hand, who grasped Bill's hand, who took Percy's hand, who grabbed George's hand, who snatched Ron's, who held Ginny's, who took Molly's other hand. They formed a circle around Romilda, still on the ground, Luna, at Romilda's side, and Harry, who didn't seem to be able to move. Luna glanced up, in the dead silence, and looked into Ginny's eyes. She raised her eyebrows, but understood. Luna led Harry out of the circle under Ginny and Ron's arms.  
"Ginny?" Ron nodded at her, and shut his eyes. Ginny pursed her lips, shut her eyes, and began.  
"This girl with powers yet unknown, is without kin whom she will own." She said, trying to put power in her words. Behind her eyelids, she could see light, her hands felt warm. The magic was collecting. "Guard her from her previous sins, save her from the madness within." Ginny's hands glowed white-hot, like metal in a forge. She heard her father wince. "Restore to her these years, lost, and take this offering as the cost." She finished chanting, and she heard gasps from the people gathered around them. She set her mouth grimly, and yelled, "Now!" She could see the explosions light the hall from behind her eyelids.

**AN: Thank you so much for reading! Please review.**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Loose Ends

"It was a beautiful service." Maria smiled, raising her eyebrows at Ginny, who had been nodding off.  
"Oh, yes." Ginny said, sitting up straight and blushing. "Very nice."  
"I thought so, too." Luna mused, tucking away a pair of odd looking spectacles into her pocket.  
"I really must be going." Ginny rose from her seat, picking up her purse from the back of her chair. "It's nearly three, the party's been over for hours." It was true. Ginny, Luna and Maria had spent the majority of the party dancing like crazy people, before eating twice their own body weight in delicious wedding feast. They they'd just sat and talked. Maria was really nice, and Luna and her got along pretty well.  
"Me too." Luna said, rising. She smoothed her dress and smiled. Ginny brushed the crumbs off of her blue dress, and she and Luna bid their hosts goodbye and took their leave. Ginny yawned as they made their way toward the apparation point that had been set up two blocks away.  
"That must have been very tiring." Luna said, thoughtfully.  
"Mmmmn." Ginny responded.  
"I'm not surprised that the rest of them were dazed. I just can't believe what you did." Luna's voice was light, devoid of judgement. Ginny looked into her friend's eyes.  
"You remember?" She asked.  
"Yes." Luna said, simply. "I was wearing my spectetres." She pulled a pair of odd-looking glasses out of her purse.  
"So, you know . . . ?"  
"Yes." Luna stopped walking as they reached the apparation point. "And I would have done it too, if it had been me." She turned to Ginny and gave her a hug. Ginny hugged her back, trying and failing to hold back a single tear.  
"Thanks, Luna."  
"You're welcome." Luna pulled away, dropped Ginny's hand, and turned on the spot.

Ginny entered the Burrow, walking up the stairs slowly. She was suddenly so tired, she thought she would drop on the spot. She heard the sound of her mother bustling around in the basement, doing laundry and singing to herself, and she smiled. She walked past Spencer and Carly's doors, the lights were out and the doors were shut. She reached the landing right below hers, Danielle's door.  
The light was on. The door was shut. Ginny knocked, and the door swung open.  
The room was transformed. The walls were butter-yellow, the walls were all bookshelves, and a Hogwarts trunk sat on the floor at the foot of the bed.  
"Hey," Said the girl sitting on the bed. She was a bit shorter than Ginny, neither plump nor thin, with white, freckled skin and straight, orange-red hair that was cut sharply at her shoulders. She wore light, thin silver glasses on her straight nose. "How was the party?"  
"Okay," Ginny sat down on the yellow bedspread and slid her feet, sore from dancing, out of her heels. "I'm really tired from all of the running around. Lavender really wanted a big wedding, you know? She's pretty flashy."  
"I never knew her that well." The other girl shrugged. "You better go get some rest. You have practice tomorrow."  
"Not to mention, you're not done packing." Ginny replied, prodding a stack of heavy textbooks with her toe, and wincing as she felt the beginnings of a blister on her foot.  
"That too." The girl smiled. Ginny stood, and slowly walked towards the door. "Ginny?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I'm sorry about earlier." Ginny whipped her head around, she was standing in the doorway.  
"Huh?"  
"I mean," The girl pursed her lips, standing and walking towards Ginny. "I don't want to fight. I didn't mean what I said before, about quidditch being a waste of time. I was just jealous. I'm sorry." She hung her head.  
"It's okay." Ginny gave a small smile. "Worse things have happened."  
"I know." The girl closed the gap between them and hugged Ginny tightly. "I just felt bad that we didn't get to spend any time together this summer."  
Ginny stroked the girl's hair, patting her back. "We'll hang out next summer. I'm just glad you had fun with Charlie in Romania."  
"I did," She said, brightly, as the hug ended. "I wrote Hagrid a thirty-eight page essay."  
Ginny smiled, genuinely this time. "I'm sure he'll love that." They laughed. Ginny turned away, and walked up one more flight of stairs to her room. She slipped out of her dress, pulled on her dressing gown, and then went down to the bathroom to wash her makeup off. Her mother was standing at the bottom of the stairs.  
"Prewe!" Molly yelled as she trudged up the stairs, carrying a large laundry basket. "Come get your things!"  
"I'm busy!" The girl shrieked back. "Ginny? Could you?"  
"Your sister is NOT at your beck and call, young lady!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, stomping her foot. "Come get your things this instant, or you'll stay here with me all yea-" Prewe was out of her room and halfway down the stairs in a flash.  
"Thanks, Mum!" Prewe dashed off, taking the stairs two at a time. Ginny washed her face, and then returned to her room.  
"Ginny?"  
"Yeah?" She asked, wearily.  
Prewe took a few steps into Ginny's room and found her older sister lying on her bed. "Sorry to disturb you again, Ginny, but I found this letter in my laundry." She held up a parchment envelope, addressed to Ginny in a familiar, cramped handwriting.  
"Thanks, Prewe." Ginny, said, sleepily. "Could you leave it on my desk? Thanks, sis." She heard the door _click_ shut behind her, and she slept.

Ginny woke to darkness. Glancing at the clock, she cursed. It was nearly midnight. Ginny hadn't slept for nine hours straight since she was twelve. She got up, changed into some robes, and quietly snuck downstairs to get some food.  
In the kitchen, Ginny puttered around, she retrieved a chicken leg and some salad before sitting down to her late supper.  
"Hello?" A quiet voice said in the dark, cracking a bit. Ginny took out her wand, whispered,  
"_Lumos._" and raised her lit wand. A small figure rose from the red armchair in the next room, with her back to Ginny. She turned around, and Ginny could recognize the tear-streaked face of Carly.  
"Carly?" Ginny waved her wand to light some candles, and then, abandoning her meal, joined the crying girl in the living room. "Are you okay?"  
"Um," Carly hiccuped, wiping her tears. "No, not really. But you should go eat, I'll be-"  
"You're not fine." Said Ginny, handing Carly a handkerchief from a stack of clean ones on the side table between their chairs. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
"I . . . I don't know. I've never talked to anyone about it before." Carly sniffed. "But, yeah. You don't mind?"  
"If you need to talk . . ." Ginny patted Carly's shoulder reassuringly.  
"Okay, well, a few years back, when the war first started, my dad was working at the ministry. My mum was muggle-born, so they called her in for interrogation, to ask her a load of stupid questions about why she had magic if she wasn't wizard-born. I was at Hogwarts, but mum and dad ran away with my little sisters and my brother. I never heard from them, until their names were in the paper." Her voice trembled. "It- it said that they were chased and killed in a muggle construction accident. It was a lie, of course." She was crying again. "Death-Eaters tracked them down and killed them, destroying the muggle building sight in the process."  
"Oh, my god." Ginny closed the space between them and hugged Carly, who was now crying audibly.  
"I- I don't have anyone. My family, my friends. All gone." Carly sobbed into Ginny's shoulder. "I was just at that wedding today, and everyone was so _happy, _the whole family together. It really hit me then, that I'm alone."  
Ginny had no idea what to say. So she just held Carly as she cried, hating the feeling of not knowing what to say and knowing that she should say something.

**AN: Thank you guys for reading, and for your reviews! You are so inspiring. Thanks for helping me become a better writer.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Consequences

"I love you." Prewe hugged Ginny, then took a final sip of her orange juice as she was on her way out the door. "I'll see you at Christmas."  
"I love you too." Ginny smiled at her sister, taking the glass from her, and waved goodbye as Arthur helped haul Prewe's trunk onto the night bus.

During the previous night, she had sifted through all of the stuff in her room, looking for differences, things that had changed the previous day. A framed photograph of her and Ron at three and four now included a little one year-old Prewe. The little girl reminded Ginny of Fred. To everyone else, there had always been eight of them, and there were now seven. To Ginny, there were seven, and now there was again. The memories had trickled into her head overnight, settling in easily, not pushing anything else out. The memories that she planted in everyone else's heads took the longest to take root in hers. She remembered going to Olivander's with Prewe to buy a wand, helping Prewe dye Ron's hair as a prank, and teaching Prewe to fly. Prewe was terrible, and hated Quidditch. One of the reasons she and Ginny fought was over it. Prewe was on Hermione's side when it came to Quidditch, they both couldn't fathom any interest in it. Hermione and Prewe always got along pretty well. Thinking like that made Ginny think less and less about the person she had known as Danielle, and seeing only the girl who she had been raised alongside.

Ginny walked through Diagon Alley, holding her knitted wrap close around her, the fall air chilling her and making her wish she had brought her scarf and a warmer jacket. Indeed, all of her attire, a jean skirt and purple cotton shirt with brown leather loafers, was far too light to be going without tights or leggings. It was too bad, she was already late to see Ashley during her friend's thirty minute break from work.  
Pushing open the door to the cafe across the street from Quality Quidditch supplies, Ginny felt warmth begin to thaw her frozen, exposed legs and fingers.  
"Hey," Ashley waved her fingers at Ginny from one of the smaller booths. She was sipping a hot chocolate and she toasted Ginny with it. Ginny slid into the other side of the booth and smiled at the piping hot butterbeer waiting for her in front of her seat.  
"I'm so sorry I'm late." Ginny apologized, loosening her wrap and dropping her purse on the seat beside her. "I had to say goodbye to Prewe. She left for Hogwarts this morning."  
"That girl is too much." Ashley smiled and shook her head. "She does too much."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, she takes on more work as a sixth year than most of the seventh years." Ashley told her, ruffling her short blonde hair with one hand and lifting her drink to her lips with the other. Ginny noticed that her friend looked a bit less neat than usual. Ashley was wearing her work robes, which were not extremely flattering, a pair of leather boots, and her hair tucked under a knitted hat. She looked presentable when Ginny first glanced at her, but looking closer, Ginny saw that one of Ashley's eyes was lined in purple, and the other in brown, she wasn't wearing lipstick, and her socks were too long for the boots and were sticking out.  
"What's going on with you?" Ginny asked carefully, not wanting to insult her friend. "You look . . . tired." She finished, creatively.  
"You mean horrible?" Ashley asked. Okay, maybe not so creative. Ashley sighed. "My roommate is driving me nuts. She's a witch, but she's muggle-born, so she takes care of changing the rent over to muggle money and dealing with the people, but she's _such _a pill! She's terrible!" Ashley vented, her tone changing from resigned to annoyed in no time flat. "Half the time, she wants to be all buddy-buddy, the other half she totally ignores me. She takes forever in the bathroom, and she's always having one-night stands over to have obnoxiously loud sex." Ashley gritted her teeth. "Ginny, she's so gross. I've _never _seen her take out laundry. She works at some trashy gossip magazine in muggle London."  
"So why don't you find a new roommate?" Ginny asked, sipping her butterbeer.  
"I'm not easy to get along with." Ashley shrugged. "I was actually wondering if you wanted to try it out."  
"What?" Ginny swallowed audibly. The butterbeer burned her throat. "Move out, you mean?"  
"Something you hadn't thought about, I see." Ashley smiled. "You're always talking about how you can't stand living at the burrow, with your mother getting at you all of the time. Here's your chance for some independence."  
"But what about rent?" Asked Ginny. "I don't know how muggle money works. Besides, I'm not sure I could afford it."  
"Ginny, I work in a shop that sells quidditch stuff, and I can afford my half. You're an actual quidditch player. You can afford it, trust me." Ashley kept talking, but Ginny wasn't totally listening. She had begun to think through the whole moving out thing. With two little sisters instead of one, and the possibility of not reporting to her mother about everything, the idea looked good. Really good.

**AN: Thanks for reading! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Hopefully, there'll be a new chapter once a week again. Please review, I appreciate your feedback.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Status Quo

Ginny really had not see it coming. One second, she had been walking down the street in Diagon Alley, the next, she was ambushed.  
"Ms. Weasley, do you have any comment on the Bats scandal?" Flashbulbs went off in her face.  
"Ms. Weasley, what does your ex-boyfriend and noted Boy Who Lived have to say about the matter?"  
"Ginny, is there any drug use involved?"  
"What's the status of your relationship with Harry Potter?"  
"Do you dye your hair?"  
"No comment!" Ginny shouted over all of their voices. "And no pictures!" She gestured fiercely at one of the photographers. "Who do you work for?"  
One of them handed over a wrinkled, dirty business card. Ginny read it, and groaned.  
"Really?" She rolled her eyes. "I can't have a good day, can I?"

Ginny sighed. She was in one of the last places that she wanted to be, sitting with her legs crossed in an uncomfortable chair in a cramped waiting room. A young witch, who couldn't be more than nineteen, glared at Ginny from the other corner of the waiting room. She wore lipstick that was too dark, making her skin look blotchy, and a plain skirt and blouse in the same ugly tan color as the walls of the small room. The room was barely big enough for the doors to open all of the way, and six chairs were crowded into one side of the room, while the other side was occupied by the sullen secretary and her cramped desk. Ginny was sitting in the chair nearest to the door of the inner office, facing the door to the rest of the workspace, where she could see people pacing back and forth, even talking on muggle telephones. She stared at the words embossed on the glass of the door with a severe loathing.

Ginny waited there for half an hour, before the office's occupant breezed in. The woman paused in the doorway, took the merest second to compose herself, and opened the door to her office, allowing Ginny to follow her with slight reluctance.  
Ginny took the seat directly in front of the woman's desk, glancing around the office. It, to, was rather small. The room was not decorated completely, the only personalization was the walls, which were papered with newspaper clippings.  
"So, Rita Skeeter." Ginny grinned at one of her least favorite people in the world. "I would say it's a pleasure to see you, but I'm not a shameless liar like yourself."  
Rita smiled back, keenly. "Ginny Weasley! You've grown up so nicely. It's an _unexpected _pleasure, seeing you today."  
"Oh, don't blame your secretary." Ginny said, with a wave of her hand. "I hardly gave her any choice. You haven't yet had the _pleasure _of seeing how forceful I can be. Besides, I think the girl will go far. She's quite rude, and she seems to be as bitchy as you."  
"Oh," Rita said, buying time with a pause. "Well, I'm so glad that you have a high opinion of her. By the way, I've actually been meaning to talk to you about a writing gig. We need a new voice, a fresh perspective on _The Chosen Column. _I'm sure you've got some stories to tell."  
"Tempting, but I'm not here for your bull shit, Rita." Ginny took the dirty business card out of her pocket and placed it on Rita's desk.  
"Ah," Rita flicked the card off of her desk and into the nearby trash bin with the end of a quil. "I _must _speak to the interns about keeping their calling cards in better condition."  
"I'm glad that you're concerned about the real problem here, Rita." Ginny said, dryly. "I am a quidditch player, yes, and I _was, _in the past, the girlfriend of Harry Potter. That does not make me a public figure, nor does it mean that the press is allowed to stalk me and take down my words without my consent. The Harpies has a public relations team that handles all of our press releases, and I am not them. So leave me out of this, and get a real story." Ginny stood. "I've gotta say, Rita, I thought this place would be in better shape with you running it. _The Daily Prophet _lost a lot of readership and respect from the wizarding community after the war, and I figured you would be bringing readers back, even though you have no aptitude for gaining anyone's respect." Ginny turned away from the woman who had done so many horrible things, who had written so many lies about the people she loved and respected. "I wish you the best of luck."

**AN: Thank you for all of your lovely reviews! Here are some responses for the ones on chapters 24 and 25. **  
**ScarletTheCat14 - Essentially, that's what happened. You'll have to wait and see how it goes!**  
**immapoetandiknowit - Thanks for all of your kind reviews! I hope I can live up to your expectations. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: The Real Beginning

Ginny played her first game for the second time the next week. After the investigation into the Bats scandal, the Harpies were allowed to resume their quidditch season without too much more trouble. Ginny made two goals and stole the quaffle three times, so she was content with her performance.  
Ginny was leaving the locker room, tucking her dirty robes into her bag to be washed at home, when she paused. She heard voices coming out of a broom closet down the hall from the locker room, and turning her head, saw a tall man leave the closet, with much straightening of clothes. He was closely followed a moment later by a slight, long-haired girl wearing a dress, and carrying her shoes. Ginny froze as the girl turned to follow the man, but seemed to change her mind and turned towards Ginny's corridor, although she had yet to see Ginny.  
"Oh!" The girl started at seeing Ginny, putting a hand to her chest and widening her eyes dramatically. Ginny was just as shocked as she, as it was Maria Fletcher, the woman who had been commentating the quidditch match not ten minutes earlier. Getting a closer look at Maria, Ginny noticed her flushed cheeks and smudged lipstick. As the two girls stood in the hallway, one of them barefoot and the other suspicious, Maria's bra-strap slipped off of her shoulder, and with it, the girl's composure fell as well.  
Maria collapsed to the floor, gasping with tears and fear. "I- It's not what it looks like." She shifted on the cement floor, the cold numbing her bare feet. Ginny knelt beside her.  
"I'm sure it's not." She said, kindly, helping Maria gather her fallen possessions. She handed Maria her purse and heaved her back to her feet. Maria shifted her clothes for both modesty and warmth, it was windy and wet outside. She slipped into her boots, and wrapped herself in her coat.  
Maria sighed, putting her hands deep into her pockets. "Who am I kidding? It's exactly what it looks like."  
"That guy was Eddie, right? The other commentator?" Asked Ginny gently, not wanting to upset the frazzled girl.  
"Um, yeah." Maria pulled a lipstick out of her coat pocket and applied it quickly. "It's really, _really_ against the rules when it comes to quidditch commentating. Dating your co-workers . . . it's punishable by employee relocation, even termination."  
"Why?" Asked Ginny, genuinely confused. "What harm could it do?"  
"Supposedly, it causes a problem with objectivity in commentary." Maria shrugged.  
"Wouldn't that only be the case if you were dating a quidditch player?" Inquired Ginny, raising her eyebrows.  
"I don't make the rules." Maria shook her head. "I really, _really, _didn't mean for this to happen. I just . . . we really lo-like each other. We're happy. I just hate sneaking around, and now you're involved . . ." Maria trailed off.  
"But I didn't see anything!" Ginny protested, getting an idea.  
"What?" Maria raised her eyebrows.  
"I just ran into you leaving and we decided to meet up for a drink later." Ginny said, smiling cheerfully and shifting her bag on her shoulder. "Now, I should really get going. We should really get together for a firewhiskey or something sometime. I'll see you around." Ginny walked a few paces, turned to smile at her new friend and then disapparated.

Ginny sneezed, wiping her nose on her sleeve as she washed her dishes. Molly had sentenced her to dish-duty to keep her out of the way while she interrogated Ron. Ginny pitied her older brother, being the second youngest was almost worse than being the youngest. Bill was already married and had a kid, and Charlie was too far away to be badgered by his mother too often. Percy was easy enough to fluster, so Molly didn't have to put a big time-commitment into making him squirm. Like Ginny, she probably thought that Percy would eventually get snatched up by some young, pretty-enough girl with high self-esteem and a good smile, who could control him with a twitch of her finger. Percy would never raise his wand against his wife, Ginny knew that much. George was married to his shop, and Ginny knew that before Fred was gone, they both had fooled around with different shop assistants, but that was awhile ago. That probably didn't happen anymore, since George wasn't quite the same as before. Really, Ron was the closest to married aside from the actually married Bill, since Hermione practically lived at Ron and Harry's shared apartment, and they had been together for four years, as far as Ginny knew. Ginny could hear Ron trying to get out of committing to a wedding date in the other room. She hid a smile, biting her lip, and sighed. She knew why Ron was so anxious to be left alone, he needed to get mentally prepared for his big night. Ginny knew it, because being observant really got you places.  
She had taken Ron's jacket as he came in, and hung it on a peg next to the door, but not before a small velvet box fell out of one of the pockets and hit her foot. She swallowed a gasp of pain, and bent to pick up the box. She sat in one of the ancient, creaky kitchen chairs and flipped open the box, hardly able to breathe. Inside was a large, blue sapphire set in silver, with small diamonds on either side. Ginny loved it, but it was so utterly wrong for Hermione that Ginny nearly snorted, but she turned it into a cough. She decided not to interfere, and slid the box back into the pocket she thought it had fallen out of, turning her head away from the jacket and doing her best not to stare at the bulge in the jacket's pocket. She had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling.

**AN: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it.**


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